Framed: Remastered
by The-crazy-lone-wolf77
Summary: Humphrey's life was perfect. He had a good family and a loving mate, but his life takes a turn for the worst when he is convicted for the murder of a family. He is exiled from the pack, but will he be able to survive on his own?
1. Chapter 1

I was walking through the pack back to my den with a single thing on my mind: life couldn't get any better! After living my entire life thinking I would never have the wolf I love, life decided to give me a break. I have a loving family, the greatest friends anyone could ask for, a good reputation around the pack, and now a mate who I will do anything for. Kate is the most beautiful, loving wolf who I loved so very much, and I know she feels the same for me considering she risked everything just so she could be with me. Our love is something that will never be broken, not by anything.

I was nearly back home, hoping to see my lovely mate after all day. She had been doing her alpha duties while I took a day to be by myself, venturing to a nearby lake and relaxing there for the entire day. I have been in a state of pure bliss all day and I doubted anything would ruin this day for me. I turned around a tree, seeing my den in sight finally. My pace quickened, excited to see the love of my life. As I was about to enter my den, a force came crashing into my side, sending me skidding into a tree five feet away. I groaned in pain, my heart racing as I feared for my life. My vision soon became blurry from the head on collision of my head to the tree, but I could still feel and hear the world around me.

"It's still hard to believe he would do anything like that," a familiar voice said as a pair of footsteps came towards me.

"I know, if not for the evidence I wouldn't believe it myself. This just feels wrong," the other wolf said, I immediately recognized it as Garth. I couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Why would Garth be doing this, I thought we had started becoming pretty good friends.

It didn't take long before I felt myself being dragged away to an unknown location. I was so confused as to what was happening. Where was I being taken and why was it happening to me. Eventually I was able to compose myself, regaining my sight and ability to speak, though not very loudly.

"Why are you doing this," I was able to muster out quietly, but I wasn't given a response. Fear started to consume me and I started hoping this was all just a nightmare, or maybe just some sort of sick joke that we would all laugh about later; however I figured that to be unlikely.

A few minutes later and I was pulled into a large field, a field that was reserved for wolves who face extreme punishment. This wasn't making any sense, I haven't done anything Why would I be brought here. As I looked around all I could see were the faces of angry wolves. They looked at me with disgust, like I was someone else. I know all of these wolves, and never have they looked at me like this; it stings.

When I reached the center of the field, I was thrown the ground hitting it hard. I slowly picked myself up, looking around and seeing all eyes on me. I don't want to be here, this isn't right, nothing about this is right.

"Humphrey," a voice cut through the air. I looked up at a ledge that overlooked the valley seeing Winston staring down on me. His face was stern and eyes full of disappointment. Next to him is Kate who is looking at me with such shame along with my family. Out of all the wolves starring daggers at me, the way Kate is looking at me hurts the most.

"You stand here accused, committing the highest offense against your pack," he boomed down at me. What is he talking about?

"Winston, I don't understand," I said submissively, the last thing I want to do is make him angrier than he already appears.

"Don't play innocent with me, Humphrey. There is no way out of this!" He snarled down at me. I flinched and backed up a few steps, only to be blocked by Garth and the other wolf who brought me here, Hutch.

"You are charged with the murder of three wolves; a father, a mother, and their pup," he sighed, breaking away from his intimidation act, "How could you do this Humphrey, just… why?"

I stared at him with wide eyes and mouth wide open; did he just say I murdered wolves? Me? I am the last person who would ever hurt anyone, let alone kill another wolf. Seriously, they are blaming me for murder? "Winston, I didn't do this," I choked out.

"I wish I could believe you Humphrey, I really do, but everything points to you. I have no choice but to banish you from this pack, never aloud to return."

I couldn't believe this. This has to be some sort of terrible, sick practical joke; this cant be real. But his face told me otherwise. I looked to my family, "Mom, dad, McCabe, you believe me right?" they just turned away, turning their backs on me. I faced Kate, her being my last hope. "Kate, please," and that's when my heart shattered. She got up and walked away, leaving me a broken wolf. Tears started streaming down my face; my world crumbling down around me.

"Now leave Humphrey, leave," Winston snarled down at me, followed by every other wolf in the valley, each of they growling and snarling wildly. There was nothing I could do, my life has just ended. I sprinted out from the valley, running as fast as I could sobbing the whole way. How could they do this to me, how could they ever think I would kill anyone. I ran and ran and ran some more, getting myself as far away from the pack as I physically could. I ran for two hours until my body could no longer take it. I collapsed on the ground, not being able to take another step and that's when I broke down completely. I curled into a ball and wept my heart out, crying like a new born pup. I cried until I passed out completely.

I awoke the next day with my whole body in pain. My muscles were extremely soar considering I'm not used to running so far so fast. I grunted with discomfort as I picked myself off from the ground, looking around to see if I had any clue as to where I was; the answer is no. Of course the question is should I even continue on? My life ended last night. I have nothing left to love for, everyone I have ever known despises me and thinks I'm a killer. What is there to live for?

As all these voices screamed in my head to give up, one burst through the noise which screamed at me not to give up, telling me to live in spite of all those who accused me. They'll figure out eventually that I had no part in those killings and all those who turned their backs on me would feel sorry, thinking that I'd die out here. No, I'll return one day stronger than the weak omega I am now. I'll show all of them.

I looked up into the sky, seeing that a storm was approaching, and it looked like it was going to be a nasty one. I don't know why, but something told me I need to find shelter soon or else I am going to die.

* * *

 **Here you are, the first chapter of probably one of my favorite stories I've written. It's not my most popular, but I just have so much fun writing it, even five years later. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

 **Don't be afraid to leave a comment telling me what you think. I love the feedback I get from all of you.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	2. A New Tomorrow

**Kate**

I still can't believe it. I cant believe that he's gone and that I'm never going to see him again. The wolf that I risked everything for, that I loved, gone. I wanted to say something last night to try and convince myself that he was innocent, but everything pointed towards him. His scent, his fur, everything. How anyone, let alone Humphrey, could kill an innocent family made me sick to my stomach. I thought I knew him, thought he didn't have a violent bone in his body, but apparently I missed something.

I had gone back to my den after the trial, the den I shared with who I thought was my soul mate. With me to help comfort me, and for me to help comfort them, is Humphrey's family. They were just as shocked and in denial as I was. McCabe grew up with him, and his parents never noticed anything odd about him while raising him. Honestly, it doesn't seem like him but there isn't any other wolf it could be.

Myself and his family aren't the only ones torn about the whole situation. Garth had actually started getting along with him even with their rough start, he said it killed him to drag him to the trial. Lilly and him had been best friends since we were pups, so it was obvious how she feels about this whole thing. Then there's my dad. He hated everything about last night. He's always loved and admired Humphrey since he was a pup, saying that he was one of the best wolves among us. This whole situation is just bad in so many ways.

It was late in the morning when I heard footsteps coming towards the den. I figured it would be mom or dad, or both coming over to check in on me. However, I was surprised to see Humphrey's three best friends walking up, and they didn't look happy. I assumed they were jus as upset about the whole thing as we were.

"Good morning," I greeted them halfheartedly, still very upset from the night before. They looked back at me with unfriendly gazes.

"How could you," Salty spat.

I was taken back from the sudden hostility, "How could I what?" I asked.

"Don't give me that bullshit, you know what I mean. How could you do that to Humphrey," he snarled. I have never seen them like this, they were furious. At this point Humphrey's family came by my side.

"We had to. He killed a family of wolves and by pack law he is to be banished," I defended painfully.

"Really?" he growled, "You really think Humphrey, the nicest wolf in this entire pack, would do such a thing? How could you even say that knowing him? He trusted all of you, loves everyone of you, and when he needed you most you turned your back on him. Now for all we know he's dead because none of you said a thing to defend him. I say screw the evidence, something is going on around here and we'll find a way to prove Humphrey's innocence with or without you." With that they turned tail and walked back from where they came, leaving each of us in the cave with a lot to think about.

 **Humphrey**

I ran through this unfamiliar forest trying my best to look for any kind of shelter. The giant storm clouds were nearly here and I wanted to be indoors before the storm hit full force. The last time I was caught in a giant storm Kate and I nearly died. I winced and immediately shoved that thought out of my head. I don't need to think about her right now, not if I want to survive.

I weaved through trees trying to spot anything, but it was already too late. The storm was here and within seconds sheets of rains were pouring down from the sky drenching me from nose to tail. The wind started picking up, nearly blowing me off my feet. I could hardly see four feet in front of me making my chances for finding a den or any form of shelter nearly impossible. Then the lightning and thunder hit. A bright flash of lightning pierced through the sky, followed by the low rumbling thunder. I am wet, freezing, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. If I don't find somewhere to hunker down soon, then I am going to die.

I pushed myself forward, forcing myself to trudge on through this storm. Another flash of lightning startled me, but in the end became my salvation. As it lit up the sky for a brief second I saw the opening to a cave. I am going to make it! A was about to run towards it, but another flash of lightning caught me off guard, causing me to stop in my track which was a mistake. The bolt of lightning struck a brunch right above me igniting it into flames, and sending it falling towards me. I had no reaction but looking at it until it crashed down on me.

I let out a yelp of pain, seething as the flaming branch burned through my fur and into my skin, it would have been worse had I not been already soaked from the rain. I pushed it off as quick as I could, burning my paw in the process. I stood up, ignoring the pain I was feeling, and made a final push for the den. The pain was immense, but my determination for surviving was stronger. I will not die here, not now.

I got into the dry den and immediately collapsed onto the ground panting from exhaustion and whining a bit from the pain. I looked down my side where the branch landed on me and cringed seeing a giant burn mark down my entire side; and entire patch of fur burned away and replaced with seared skin. I already knew that was going to hurt for awhile and would most likely leave a scar.

I didn't even try to dry myself off, I just continue to lie on the ground unmoving. I know I had just barely woken up less than an hour ago but I was already deadbeat tired. A little nap wasn't going to hurt anything. I would begin training myself to survive tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the beginning of my new life, a life created by betrayal.

 **Kate**

A few hours had passed since my encounter with Humphrey's friends, and I eventually found myself sitting outside my den looking out into the direction that Humphrey ran. I could see a massive storm over in him that area getting me worried.

Over this past couple hours I have had a lot of time alone to think about what I was told, and the more I thought the less I could accept that Humphrey was guilty of the murder. They were right, how could I ever think that Humphrey would commit such atrocities? Maybe it was the initial shock of hearing the news and I couldn't think straight, just going with what I was told. I missed my chance to say anything, possibly losing my mate forever. I never even got a chance to say goodbye. Plus, Humphrey's only an omega. He hasn't been trained to survive on his own. Unfortunately, I cant help him out there; I need to prove him innocent soon then get him back here, and beg for his forgiveness.

The thing that is really disturbing is that if Humphrey didn't murder the family, then the killer is still here and they went out of their way to make it look like Humphrey did it. They are definitely unstable and need to be found immediately before any more wolves suffer. The only down side is that I'm going to have to do this all alone. No one was going to believe someone intentionally got Humphrey banned, they'd just think I was hanging on to impossible Hope's. I am going to need to do this alone, but it'll all be worth it to prove his innocence. I see now how wrong I was and I am determined to make this right.

"I love you, Humphrey," I whispered into the air, wishing I could tell him that to his face.

I walked back into my den, coming up with a plan in my head. I am going to get Humphrey back no matter what I have to do, and whenever I catch the real murderer it's going to be interesting what I do with them. Tomorrow I will start my investigation, tomorrow I will be one step closer to having my Humphrey back.


	3. I will Power Through

Humphrey

I woke up the next day and was immediately met with an agonizing pain on my side. The sun was out and shinning, giving me enough light to actually see the damage the burning tree branch had done, and it wasn't good. My fur was charred away leaving a bald spot of blistering skin. Even trying to readjust my body sent out a shockwave of pain. I tried to get up, but was denied as the pain was too much for me to bare. The thought of giving up right here crossed my mind. I can't handle myself on my own, I'm an omega for crying out loud; I don't know how to survive on my own. I could take the easy way out and end everything right now. I have nothing to live for at this point. My friends and family think that I'm a heartless killer. They cast me out of their lives. If I'm being honest, it's knowing that Kate gave up on me that has truly broken my spirit. I'm already out of their lives, so why not make sure they'll never see me again.

That's when a part of me ripped those thoughts away. They don't deserve that kind of satisfaction. They betrayed me and I'm going to sit around and wait for death because of this trial they have put on me. My feeling of depression was extinguished and was replaced with anger and rage and determination.

A fire began to burn deep within me, driving me to stand up despite the agonizing pain it caused me. They've sent me out here as a killer expecting me to die, but I'm not going to give in to their expectations. No, I've made up my mind! I will survive and be one stronger than this weak omega I am now. I know that the truth will come out eventually, no one can keep a secret that big in such a small pack, and when it does only then will they see their mistake. I can already see the guilt and regret painted on their faces as they realize they've sent an innocent wolf to his death. And I will be dead; not physically of course, but the Humphrey they knew will be long gone by the time I see them again. That will be my revenge, to show them what they did to a once fun and loving omega.

I pushed myself out of the den into the noon sun ignoring any pain that I was feeling, being driven by pure adrenaline and determination. I found myself the biggest log I could and smiled.

"Perfect," I smirked. I got it onto my back and began doing as many log-squats as I possibly could. I pushed through the pain, telling myself that I am not going to give up. After I hit two-hundred I threw the log off my back. I panted out of breath, but I can't stop there. If I was going to survive then I would have to lean to push myself past my limits and become the strongest I possibly can. I'll make sure they regret ever sending me away.

Kate

I made sure to wake myself up early in the morning, exiting my den at the sign of first light. Usually I would have my alpha duties at this time, but dad has given me some time off to cope with everything that has happened which works out perfectly for me. I was in a slow jog, making sure to not be seen by any of the other wolves who would be awake at this time. My destination is the den where the murders took place. I was going to conduct my investigation of the crime scene, seeing if I could find anything that was missed.

It didn't take long before I reached the den. I could already smell the terrible stench that radiated from it. I took a deep breath, looking around to make sure nobody sees me, and walked into the den. The sight caused me to gag as I tried to keep myself from vomiting; the scene was worse than I pictured. The smell alone could make any wolves stomach churn; the sight, however, was something out of a nightmare. Blood splattered all across the den, staining the floor and walls. Fur was littered around as well, showing the ferocity of whoever took the lives of these innocent wolves. It was all sickening, and even more so when you remember that a pup was apart of this.

I shook the thoughts out of my head, needing to push through this for Humphrey's sake. I carefully walked around the den, making sure to not step on any of the blood or fur. I examined every little thing I could find, sniffed around for any scent that didn't add up to what we already thought. The male that was killed was an alpha so he most definitely would have fought back. After awhile, right as I was about to give up and try something else, I caught a very faint scent. It wasn't strong at all, and there was no way to tell who it belonged to, but what I did know is that it doesn't belong to Humphrey or any of the wolves killed. I smiled, knowing I was one step closer to finding the true killer.

I walked out of the den, first making sure that no one was around, and began walking around the pack. I became lost in thought as I tried to figure out who would do this to Humphrey. There is really no wolf that I can think of who hates Humphrey. He's always been the packs favorite omega, so why anyone would pin this all on him is beyond me.

Along with my thoughts came the realization that the wolf who has done this will most certainly have some sort of mark to indicate the fight he had with the male alpha. I just needed to keep my eyes open for that and then I could turn them in and prove Humphrey's innocence.

"Humphrey," I sighed sadly. There was no doubt in my mind that he hates me now. I let him down as his mate. I turned away in his greatest time of need and sent him to his death. I hate myself for this, it is by far the biggest mistake I have made in my life. That's why I'm trying to clear his name, to get him back and beg for his forgiveness, I just hope he will accept my apologies.

Humphrey

My muscles ached and burned, my body on the brink of collapse. My breaths were low and heavy as I tried to regain my breath. For the past three hours I had gone nonstop with my workouts, pushing myself harder and harder with each passing minute. Now, though, I'm done and resting. This was going to be my life for a good while, until I'm able to survive without any difficulty.

My stomach suddenly released a large growl. This was going to be my big problem: food. Hunting is not something I've been trained for, but as a wolf we I do have a certain primal instinct when it comes to it. It really doesn't matter if I don't know how to hunt anyway, either I'm going to need to catch something or I am going to starve. Anyways, the best way to learn is by doing.

I remembered seeing a small group of deer earlier today as I was running around; they'd probably make for some easy targets. I went back over to where I last saw them and started sniffing them out. It took me awhile to catch their scent, but when I did I set off, following their trail.

It took me nearly an hour to find them, and when I did I started doing everything I remembered from watching Kate and the other Alphas. I got low to the ground and silently crept over to them trying my hardest not to make any noise. I picked an older looking one, noting that it would be the easiest target to take down. I waited for it to expose itself to me, and when it did I lunged for it's throat. The only thing is right before I jumped at it, I broke a branch underneath my paw and it quickly turned around, kicked me in the chest, then took off running.

I was sent flying backwards, hitting the ground and sliding for a few feet. I groaned in pain as I picked myself up with much difficulty. First hunt, better than I thought it would go. Seems that I'll be going hungry for the night. I began walking back to my new den, going back to take a well deserved rest. About halfway back I spotted a bush full of berries. I thought back to how disgusting they were the last time I had them, but I'm so hungry. I decided to just go for it, picking off the berries and eating them. These one didn't actually taste as bitter as the ones I've had before, they were a lot more sweet. I continued to eat until my stomach was full. It was a very nice feeling to have after that hard days work.

Soon after my berry feast I returned to my den and lied down. It wasn't even dark yet, but I could hardly keep my eyes open. Sleep came quickly as I began resting my body for another hard day of work ahead of me.

Kate

The day had come to an end, and other than the small scent I caught a whiff of in at the scene I had found nothing. It was very frustrating not being able to find anything, the longer this went on the greater the chance I was never going to see Humphrey again.

During the day I had bumped into a few others. My mom and dad were among them. They had come looking for me to make sure I was doing okay. I played it off as if I still believed Humphrey was guilty, I don't need the actual killer to know I'm looking for them. We had a pretty bland conversation as they told me they would be there if I needed them.

The other two wolves I ran into were Garth and Lilly. They also wanted to make sure I was doing okay. I began telling them the same thing I told mom and dad, but I needed to let someone know that I believe in Humphrey.

"I-I really don't think Humphrey killed those wolves," I whispered to them. The two looked at me, the each other, then back at me.

"That's a relief, I was thinking really bad things about you before this," Lilly admitted, while Garth nodded. "Just about every omega is against what happened, and a lot of them aren't very happy with you since you are his mate," Lilly explained.

"Yah, I know," I said, thinking back to my conversations with Salty, Shaky and Mooch. "And I don't blame them," I admitted, tears starting to stream down my face. "I betrayed him and now he's out there all by himself and it's my fault," I sobbed quietly, not wanting to draw any other attention towards me.

"No, Kate, it's not your fault," Lilly said walking up to me. "There's some psycho out here who is to blame for all this. We catch him we get Humphrey back," she stated.

"I've already been looking around but haven't had any luck," Garth revealed.

Kate smiled, realizing that there are quite of bit of others who are trying to prove Humphrey's innocence. "I have also done a little bit of investigating and found something," I told them. They leaned in closer, obviously wanting to hear more. "There was another scent in the den where the family was killed that was different from everything else. It was faint but it was definitely blood and it was from someone in this pack. If we see someone with a fresh wound, they are the prime suspect." They looked excited about this new piece of information and told me they would be on the look out. After that we parted ways.

Now the day was over with the moon high in the sky. I looked up towards the stars thinking of nothing but Humphrey and wishing for nothing more than for him to be by my side once again.

"Don't worry, Humphrey," I yawned out, "I will find the wolf who'd done this and prove you innocent." With that I fell into a sleep filled with dreams of my lovely mate.


	4. Confession

**Humphrey**

I couldn't sleep, not with everything that is on my mind. Everything that had happened has clogged my thoughts making sleep an unlikely task. I had tried for a few hours but eventually gave up. I couldn't clear my head, nor could I get comfortable with the giant burn on my side. It was starting to look gross as it has began to blister and produce grotesque amounts of puss. If only there were a healer I could go to, unfortunately the only one I know lives in a pack that currently despises my existence.

Hours went by as I looked out of my den into the darkness of the night. My thoughts lingered on rehearsing in my mind what I was going to do in order to survive. Obviously there were the two main things: being able to hold my own in any survival situation, and being able to hunt. Without those skills I would last less that a month out here.

As time went on, the lack of sleep started getting to me and I began to zone out, my mind wandering off towards unwanted areas of my thoughts. An image of my mate came to me and a small smile made its way to my lips. In my short time here, the loneliness has already started to set in. I'm not used to being alone this long, it's not what an omega like me is used to. It made me chuckle, thinking how miserable I would have been if I had jumped on that train during Kate's failure of a wedding. And that's when the reality of everything came back to me. I growled at myself in frustration. I'm not an omega anymore, I'm not apart of a pack anymore, and I'm no longer with Kate. I am going to be alone probably for the rest of my days. The sooner I accept that the easier all of this will be.

As soon as the sun began to rise over the mountains my day began. Even with the lack of sleep and all the pain going through my body I would not stop until I could take care of myself.

I jogged my way over towards a small field I had seen earlier that would be perfect for my needs. Once I made it I thought of what I could do to not only build my strength, but also my speed, stamina, and endurance. I glanced around for a moment until my eyes landed on something perfect. A large section of a tree lying on the ground with some vines wrapped around it. An idea came to me and I walked over to it. I put the vines over my shoulders and took a deep breath before I pulled with all my strength. With everything I had it only budged a little, going forward a few inches.

"Perfect," I grinned. I am going to get this log around this field at least once, no matter how long it takes.

After what seemed like ages of nonstop pulling, and tugging, using all my might to move this thing, I finally made it around the field. I dropped the vines of my shoulders panting like a madwolf, only able to take a few steps forward before collapsing. My legs were dead and my whole body ached with pain. But I couldn't stop here. With great difficulty, I pushed myself up with my legs shaking nonstop; I feel like a pup trying to walk for the first time.

I made my way over to a small stream and got a drink to quench my thirst that came from my extreme workout. After becoming rehydrated I decided the next best thing to do was to build up some stamina. Without a second thought I began sprinting in a random direction, and I wouldn't stop until I was either puking or if I just collapse.

I continued with my self training for hours, only stopping for short periods of time in order to drink some water; other than that it was nonstop which has been the hardest thing I have ever done. When I was finally done, I could hardly move. I moved at a snail's pace as I began walking away from the field. Unfortunately, my day isn't over yet. I still had to eat or else I wouldn't be able to continue with what I'm doing, I just wouldn't have the energy. However, I think I would have to go with berries again tonight because there is no way I could hunt in my condition. It would have to do for now.

By the time I ate the berries and got back to my den, the sun was beginning to set on this day. Fortunately, I don't think I'd have any difficulty sleeping tonight. As I collapsed on the ground and began to fall asleep, my mind couldn't help but think of what was going on back in the Central Pack.

 **Kate**

"It was you, I know it was you, admit it," I shouted into the face of the wolf pinned beneath me.

"I dint do anything you crazy bitch, get the hell off of me," the wolf screamed back. I had been looking for something to prove Humphrey's innocence, instead I found the someone.

Earlier That Day

I woke up today with one thing on my mind, I am going to find the murderer. I could just feel it. With everything I know now, it just know that I can do it. I will get Humphrey back and it all starts today.

It will make things even easier now since I'm being put back on alpha duties and will be with the rest of the alphas. All I need to do is just find an alpha with a pretty new looking injury. I find that and I find the killer.

I had never been in such a hurry to get to alpha duties in my life. I made it there second only to my father, who seemed surprised to see me there so early.

"Good morning Kate," he said with a small smile. He was definitely trying to avoid the awkward topic that is Humphrey's banishment. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Don't worry dad, I'll manage," I assured him. Especially since I know I will get him back.

Eventually everyone else showed up and dad started listening off everyone's job for the day. I looked around at everyone I could to try and see any sort of injury that is fairly new. However, I didn't see anything. To make things worse, dad paired me with a jerk named Jordan. I'm pretty sure his only aspirations in life is to get laid as much as possible. He's just a perverted asshole. But I'd make do for the day, but I am definitely going to have a talk with my father afterwards about pairing me with him.

Our job was just a simple boarder patrol around the northern side of the territory. And immediately he started trying to hit on me. Honestly, who does he think he is to have the audacity to hit on me days after I lose my mate. But I decided to be the bigger wolf and politely decline his 'offer' being a little passive aggressive with him.

"Come on, still clinging on to that worthless omega?" he scoffed mockingly.

That enraged me. I got right up in his face and began yelling at him, "Don't you ever talk about him like that. He is twice the wolf you'll ever be," I snarled.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes.

We were nearly done with patrol by that time and I couldn't wait to get away from this dick. As we were walking, I accidentally tripped over a rock protruding out from the ground causing me to crash into the ground. I picked myself up, no thanks to Jordan, and as I was something caught my eye. I looked at Jordan's chest as saw something that simultaneously infuriated me and filled me with joy. A brand new scar across Jordan's chest is exactly what I was looking for. I dove at him, tackling him to the ground and pinning him below me with no hope for him of escaping.

"It was you, I know it was you, admit it," I shouted into the face of the wolf pinned beneath me.

"I dint do anything you crazy bitch, get the hell off of me," the wolf screamed back.

"You killed that family and framed Humphrey for it, and I will get you to tell the truth," I snarled, holding a claw up to his throat and slowly started putting on some pressure.

"Either tell me or this place is going to look worse than that families den," I growled, increasing the pressure with my claw.

"Okay, okay, it was me. I killed them," he whined out.

"That's all I needed to hear," I smirked, the knocked Jordan out by whacking him on the head. I picked up his body and began running back to the pack. I knew this was going to be the day.

I quickly made my way back to my father's den, getting there and throwing him in front of my concerned looking father. "Kate, what happened? Is he okay?"

"Don't worry about him, dad. But he does have something to tell you," I told him. I started shaking the murderer awake until he started to groan and opened up his eyes.

"What happened," he asked while rubbing his head. He looked up and noticed my father and I, and I could see the panic in his eyes.

"Come on Jordan, tell my father what you told me," I demanded of him. He gulped and looked between the two of us.

"Yah, about that," he said. He then suddenly turned tail and began to run out of the den only to be met by Garth. Jordan hit his body and bounced back off of him.

"What the, what's going on?" Garth asked as he rubbed where he was hit.

"Jordan just has something to tell us," I growled. Seeing there was no other option, Jordan sighed in defeat and put on a sickly smile.

"Man, really thought I was going to get away with it," he chuckled. "But you caught me red-pawed, so bravo to you. With that said, I'm the one who killed that family, not Humphrey," he confessed. Everyone, save for me, gasped at the realization.

"It, it was you," Dad said quietly. He angrily bit his lip and closed his eyes. "Garth, take him to the holding den, would you?" he asked.

"With pleasure," Garth growled, knocking Jordan back out and putting him on his back and carrying him out.

As Garth left, mom entered. She looked at Jordan on his back, the looked at us questioning. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Humphrey's innocent, that's what's going on," Dad said. "and I'm the one who sent him to his death," he sighed as he looked at the ground in sadness.

"It's alright dad, we can get him back now, it's not to late," I told him.

"You're right, I'll send out some alpha's first thing in the morning to look for him. Lead by you of course." He said, still looking distressed.

I'm so happy. I'm going to get Humphrey back. I can only hope he'll forgive us all for what has happened. I just need him back in my life.

"I guess we should tell the pack," my father said. My mother and I agreed. But as we were about to leave a sudden sickly feeling fell over me. I sprinted out of the den and went to a nearby Bush, throwing up into it. Mom and dad followed behind, asking if I was okay after I got done.

"I don't know, I've just started feeling sick all of a sudden," I told them.

"Have you eaten any bad meat?" mom asked.

"No, not that I know of."

Mom looked thoughtfully at me for a moment then looked like she figured something out. "Have you and Humphrey done anything like, you know…"

"Well, yah," I blushed, "But I don't see why," I froze as the sudden realization hit me. "You mean?"

Mom smiled happily, "Seems like we'll have to find Humphrey soon. Don't want your pups to not have a father."

"I'm pregnant," I said happily. "I'm going to be a mother, I can't believe it." Mom and dad congratulated me and promised they would do everything they could to get Humphrey back. I hope we find him very soon, because I know Humphrey wouldn't want to miss being there for the birth of his children. And I'd never forgive myself if my pups grew up without a father.


	5. Return of Humphrey

**Humphrey**

It's only been eight weeks since my banishment, and so much has already changed. My life did a complete 180 eight weeks ago as I went from a little fun loving omega to being who I am now. A lone wolf who can survive in the harshest of conditions with little to no effort. It wasn't like that in the beginning though; obviously things started out very rough and I couldn't even catch a tiny rabbit. Now I could probably take down an elk on a good day if I so choose. It also wasn't that great I was forced to leave during the rainiest part of the year. Most days were dark and cold, but I forced myself to work through everything no matter the conditions. It helped push me past my limits and strengthen me up.

Getting into shape was honestly the easy part of all of this. After four weeks of pushing myself further and further past my limits, I decided that berries just weren't cutting it anymore. I needed a freshly killed meal or I was going to go mad. Unfortunately, I couldn't just go up to an animal and ask it to get in my stomach no matter how polite I ask it; trust me I've tried out of sheer desperation.

I remember trying time after time going for anything I could smell meat off of. But time after time I would just fall on my face which would drive up my frustration more and more. Funnily enough, I think it was sheer rage that actually got me my first kill. I remember doing everything I had heard and been taught down to the tiniest detail and still landing in the dirt with a mouth full of dust. At that point I must let my feral instincts take over as rage consumed my body; next thing I knew I had a mouth full of doe. Luckily, hunting seemed to get easier after that. I believe what was wrong with me was my hesitation; I can tell you that is a problem no more.

The next thing that didn't really come too naturally to me was fending off other predators. There were more than a few occasions were I was on the losing end of a fight, but I was soon able to fix that. Eventually I learned exactly how to defend myself, and with my newfound strength it was that much more effective. I remember on one occasion where I was caught in a heavy rain storm and was forced to take cover in the first cave I saw. I decided not to check if it was already occupied and got myself cornered in the back by a bear. Honestly, I thought that's where my story would end. It was only out of desperation that I found out just how strong I had gotten. I ran full speed and rammed the bear in the side, causing it to fly back and get knocked prone. I didn't stop to admire myself, however, and immediately took off into the storm preferring that over fighting the bear any longer.

That strength did surprise me. I didn't seem to look any different, except maybe just a little more toned and defined. The only real thing that seemed to be different was the fact that I don't really take care of my fur that much anymore. I keep it messy and; giving it a mad wolf kind of look. It helps keep other lone wolves away because no one wants to fight a mad wolf, especially not alone. That along with the scar that ran down my side where the only distinguishable differences in my appearance. The scar came from that fiery branch that crashed on me my first day out here. It helped serve as a constant reminder for why I was out here.

I tend to try and avoid thinking about my past as much as possible. All that's there are bad memories that I do not want to dwell on. I get a mixed feeling of hatred, and sadness, anger, and longing; it takes a lot out of me and is just an emotional storm inside of me that I like avoiding.

Today I found myself hunting a very nice and big looking buck. This buck would be able to feed me for at least a week if not longer. I spotted it near my den and have been tracking it for quite some time now. All I know is that it was early morning when I first spotted it, and now it's nearly noon. It just seems like every time I get ready to strike, the thing takes off again. It feels like it's been leading me on for miles. Hopefully, I'll be able to find my way back without to much issue; I haven't really been keeping track of where I have been going all that well.

For the however manynth time, I silently crept up on the unsuspecting buck and readied myself to lunge. Only thing to do now is wait for that perfect opportunity. I only had to wait a few moments until the animal looked up and over away from me. I smiled to myself, this was just too easy (not including the many miles traveled to get to this moment). I lunged forward for the throat, clamping down tight on it. It was over almost as fast as it started, the animal falling down dead to the ground with a crushed wind pipe, and with my mouth full of blood. Usually, wolves would let out a howl for a successful hunt, but I don't need to attract any unwanted attention.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the long trek back to my cave, this time with a heavy animal to drag. But before I could start dragging away my kill, a voice yelled over at me. "Hey, who do you think you are?" I froze and cussed at myself for being so stupid. It seems I tracked this deer straight into someone's territory. "You don't think you can just trespass and take our food without consequences do you?" the voice asked with hostility. However, that voice seemed awfully familiar and my surrounding were giving off a very familiar scent. I slowly looked up and lied my eyes upon a lot of familiar wolves, one of them being none other than Garth. It seems I look a lot different than I thought if they don't even recognize me.

"I've actually been tracking this thing for miles and killed it myself, so I only think it's fair if I keep it," I said. I figured I'd have fun with this until the undoubtedly figure out who I am.

"I see, well I doubt you'll be able to leave with it," he growled as he motioned for his hunting group to attack me.

"Six on one? Now that's not fair," I chuckled, "You should get at least six more to even the odds." And that was the final button as one of them charged at me. Provoking wolves is just too easy. He lunged at me with some good speed, but I'm faster. I ducked under his attack, grabbed his back paw with my mouth while he was still flying through the air and redirected him towards all the other. I was able to hit two other wolves with him. "Three down, three to go," I growled, readying myself for the fight. I saw a tinge of nervousness in Garth, but his pride wouldn't allow him to back down.

However, before anything else could happen, a voice boomed over us, "Enough!" I looked over to see and elderly gray wolf walking over towards us. The same one who banished me from this pack eight weeks ago.

"Winston, this wolf intruded on our hunt and stole our kill," Garth tried to defend himself.

"Yah, but like I said I have been tracking this thing for miles, and a wolves got to eat. Or have you just resorted to killing random wolves now, Garth?"

"H-how do you know my name?" he demanded. This is where I decided to have a little more fun.

"Oh, I know all about this pack. I've been scouting you out for weeks just waiting to make myself known. And let me tell you, your pack is about to be in the middle of hell," I said with a sick, twisted smile. The wolves present gave me looks of horror and seemed like they were getting ready to attack me again. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I busted out laughing, "You should have seen the looks on your faces," I laughed uncontrollably. Now everyone was just confused.

"Who are you?" Winston asked.

"I think it's pretty clear who I am, however I feel like I should leave before you find out or else I don't think the ending will be good for me. Now if you'll excuse me," I said leaning down towards my kill ready to drag it back home.

"Wait!" Winston nearly yelled, he stepped a little closer to me with disbelief in his eyes. "Humphrey?" he questioned. Well, games are over now. I dropped the little act and my face fell flat, now not showing any emotion. My natural state since the banishment.

"Yah, it's me," I said, readying myself to run in case they decided to chase me out since, you know, I'm still not really allowed here; unless…

"I can't believe it's you, you look so… different," Winston commented. Everyone looked just as surprised, but I don't sense any hostility which could only mean one thing.

"Yah, that's what happens when your forced to survive alone," I spat, getting him to flinch. "And by your reactions, and considering you aren't chasing me away, I can only assume you found the real killer."

"Yes, we tried to find you but to no avail. We thought you were dead," he explained.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" I asked, growing tired of our conversation. The look of regret was undeniable on the old wolf's face as it should be. He knows what he's turned me into; he should feel bad.

"Humphrey, there are no words that can Express how sorry I am, please…"

"Save it Winston, I really don't want to hear it because nothing you say will change the things I've been through," I growled. That's when I decided I've had enough of this. I started dragging away my deer, wanting to be left alone, but I knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Humphrey please, you need to see her," Winston urged me. I froze for a second, debating if I should even respond. Against my better judgment, I decided to.

"Why should I. After all the betrayal why would I talk to anyone in this damned pack." I wanted to get right in their faces and snarl at them, but I controlled my urges.

"Some things happened while you were gone. Please, she needs you. She was the one who cleared your name, when almost everyone else had given up, she was the smart one. Please, Humphrey. I assure you that you will not regret it."

I swear my hear skipped a beat when he said it was Kate who cleared my name. She dis still care for me? I almost felt happy again for a second, until I remembered looking at her on that night I was sent away and all she dis was turn her back on me. I don't know if I could ever forgive her for that. However, it does sound like something urgent is happening and I would be lying if I said I don't care for her even a little bit anymore. I just cant help it.

"Fine, I'll go see her; but only for a little bit and then I'm leaving with MY deer," I stated.

"That's fine, you do what you think is best," Winston said with a happy smile.

He gestures for me to follow and soon enough I was walking through my old pack. Nothing had changed considering it's only been two months, yet everything felt strangely foreign. It was a weird feeling. As we were walking through I kept getting looked at by everyone, and it seemed no one recognized me. There were whispers between each other, it nothing I could hear. Not that any rumor they make up will matter. I can guarantee that everyone will know I'm back within the hour. I only hope I can slip away before that. There are some wolves more than others I would rather not see.

I'd be lying if I said my heart rate didn't increase as the familiar scent of Kate hit my nose. However, when I saw where her scent was coming from my heart almost stopped. It was the healers den. I slightly quickened my pace until we got there where Winston said to stay a little behind him. He walked in and a soft feminine voice greeted him.

"I have a bit of a surprise for you today," Winston stated, but not acting too excited as to not give away the extent of the surprise.

"And what would that be?" she asked. Yah, hearing her voice definitely solves that internal struggle.

Winston motioned for me to come in. I slowly walked into the den and my eyes immediately became fixed upon the beautiful sight of Kate. Our eyes connected and I knew she knew who I am. Unlike all the others, she recognized me immediately. Her lip began to quiver and tears started streaming down her face.

"Humphrey," she cried out. I was about to rush over to her and bring her into my embrace, but I hesitated. I didn't notice when I first walked in but she was clearly pregnant. That's when everything started coming together; I put two and two together and, well.

"Kate…" I slowly approached her and lied my paw over her stomach. She grasped my paw and held on tightly. "I'm… I'm going to be a father?" I asked. This was not what I was expecting when I woke up this morning.

Kate nodded her head, she just couldn't keep herself from smiling, and if I could see myself I bet I had a stupid look on my face. But I didn't care. I have Kate, and now I know that I'm going to be a father.

"I've missed you so much," I said, giving into her embrace. Her tears stained my fur as she cried for forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry Humphrey. I never should have let them send you away. Please forgive me!" she pleaded for me.

I pulled away from her and looked her straight in the eyes, "Nothing will change what happened to me, but I will never blame any of that on you. I tried to hate you, I really did, but that's just impossible. I've been in love with you since we first met as pups; do you really think anything you do could keep me mad at you forever?" I questioned, while in return giving her the forgiveness she wanted.

"I really don't deserve you," she sniffled.

"Well, I think I definitely deserve you," I chuckled as I lied behind her and curled my body around hers. That got her laughing.

"Still my silly omega I see," Kate laughed.

"More or less."

"Humphrey, I'm glad your back and I'm assume your staying now?" Winston questioned.

"Yah, I will. But don't think that means I forgive you or anyone else for what happened. I have gone through hell these past couple months. Its going to take some time," I stated harshly.

Winston lowered his head slightly and nodded, "That's understandable. Now I assume you two want to be left alone so I'll take my leave." And with that, Winston left.

After he was gone, Kate and I shared another look and neither of us were able to hold back a smile. "So I hear you were the one to clear my name, not that it really surprises me," I said.

"Yah, but it was your friends who smacked some sense into me. If it wasn't for them I don't know what I would have done. Also, it was that bastard Jordan if you were wondering. He got rid of you to try and get with me the sick freak. Luckily I caught him and he was banished from the pack. After that, we tried to find you but we couldn't find anything. Eventually, we just figured you were, well…" Kate stopped herself before she broke down again, but I assured her everything was fine now. Though, I was a little furious to know the reasoning behind why I was framed. That son of a bitch is lucky he didn't run into me.

"How long until they get here?" I asked, referring to our pups.

"Any day now. You came just in time. I'm just happy our pups won't grow up without a father," Kate sighed happily.

"Why are you in here anyway. There's not anything wrong is there?"

"No, nothing like that," Kate assured me, "Just a little check up. Earl had some things he had to do first, but he'll be back shortly." That's a relief.

We sat there for a moment in silence. I could see Kate fighter herself with something, and I knew exactly what it was. She wanted to ask what happened out there in those eight weeks. Anyone could see that I had changed, though I don't think all that much (and they dint even know about my new strength) so it's a question that is expected. The only thing is, I don't know what I'd tell her, and that's even if I wanted to tell her anything. There's a lot to unpack, and I don't think I can.

"Humphrey, ca…" she was about to ask me, but fortunately for me she was cut off by Earl walking in. Now this is a wolf I know all too well. The pack healer, and the wolf I saw every time I ended up hurting myself which was a lot.

At first, Earl started talking to Kate but was caught a little off guard when he saw me. He seemed to be slightly confused for a moment, but when his eyes grew wide I knew he recognized me. "Humphrey? When did you get back?" he asked.

"Less than an hour ago. Was hunting and ended up chasing the deer here without realizing it. Winston saw me and brought me to Kate where I was met with a special surprise," I gave him the short version of the story.

"Okay then, well I'm glad your back and well." He smiled as he walked up to Kate. "I just need to make sure everything's going fine with the pregnancy and you'll be free to go."

"Thank you, Earl," Kate said. He said it was no problem. Then he started feeling around Kate, making sure everything was fine. It only took a few minutes before he gave us the okay and said we could leave.

I helped Kate up and she used me as a support as we walked back to the head alphas den where her parents were staying. I wonder how Eve would react to seeing me. Luckily, the den was really close and we didn't run into anyone else who would most likely know who I am by now. I don't need to be surrounded by dozens of wolves asking me questions.

When we got to the den, it was mostly empty. There was nothing but a freshly killed buck in the middle; a buck that looked all too familiar. Winston must have gotten it brought here. Kate and I lied down next to it and started digging in. I hadn't eaten anything all day up until this point, so this was nice. Everything about today turned out to be good; better than I could have ever expected when I first woke up this morning. It seems that I have my old life back, though I know nothing will ever be the same, at least not for me. I've just changed too much for things to go back to how they used to be. But I just shook those thoughts away for now. All I wanted to do was share these moments with my mate and make up for all the time we spent apart.

* * *

 **Its been a few months, but I finally got this up. I hope it was worth the wait. I finally got the urge to start writing again and I haven't stopped for a good couple weeks. Good news is that I have up to chapter 10 written for this story. My other ones, however, I have my touched. I'm going to focus on this one first mostly because it's only 17 chapter and will take much less time to complete. I will try and getthings out every Monday and Friday, maybe Thursday I haven't decided yet.**

 **Thanks for reading and I do apologize for such the long wait, there were a lot of reasons behind that that would take forever to go through so just know I was really busy and didnt have a desire to write for a long time. But I'm back for now.**

 **Keep on Keeping on**

 **Peace Out**


	6. New Day Old Faces

Humphrey

Time flew as Kate and I spent out time with each other. We spent the entire afternoon just talking with one another and it was the best time I have had in a long time. Just being able to spend quality time with Kate and Kate alone is all that I needed to momentarily forget about what happened. I was actually surprised when I looked out of the cave and saw the sun going down. It seemed like only minutes ago I was being led into the pack with full intentions of leaving. Now I have my mate back and have learned we are going to have a family. Funny how life works sometimes. I actually owe that deer, that is now currently in my stomach, thanks for bringing me back unintentionally.

I learned of a few new things while talking with Kate that I found kind of interesting. Most of the omegas actually believed I was innocent from the beginning, and Garth was one of the only alphas. Me and the big guy may have had a rough start when we first met, but we grew kind of close since our mates are sisters. We were kind of forced to get along, but it wasn't bad at all. So it's nice to hear he didn't actually believe that I did those horrible things; though I am still a little soar over being carried to my trial.

I asked what had happened to the unfortunate family, and Kate told me they were given a proper burial. Also, there den was collapsed because there was no way anyone could, or would, live there anymore; plus, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

After a bit of silence, I decided to ask a question I had been staying away from for awhile. I looked over at Kate and I knew she could tell I had grown uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" Kate asked with concern.

"I… I just want to know," I paused with a sigh. This really shouldn't be that hard of a question to ask, which it really isn't; it's the answer I fear. "Where has my family been through all of this? What have they done?"

Kate gave a small nod, now comprehending my reluctance. She looked thoughtful for a moment, "I really don't know." She said, which wasn't the answer I was expecting. "I've seen McCabe around every now and then, but other than that I haven't heard anything or even seen your parents."

A part of me felt glad that it seems they were secluding themselves from everyone, after their betrayal. A mother and father are supposed to protect their children not watch as they are thrown out of the pack to be left for dead. That was the part of me that grew during my exile. However, the other side of me was worried. I might feel betrayed by them, but that doesn't mean I will stop caring for them. They're my parents and my only brother. Now the only thing to do with them is either avoid them, or confront them. I decided to worry about it later.

It was right at that time that I caught scent of some wolves coming up to the den; unsurprisingly, in walked Winston, Eve, Garth and Lilly. Without hesitation, Lilly ran over to me and brought me into a giant hug.

"Ohh, Humphrey I missed you so much," she said, having no intentions of letting go. It was a little strange to see her like this considering she is usually very reserved. I guess her time with Garth has broken her out of her shell more than I would have thought.

"I've missed you too, Lilly," I chuckled, being able to gently push her off of me.

"Hey, Humphrey. Sorry about early this morning," Garth sheepishly apologized, looking embraced about the whole thing. I wouldn't say this out loud, but I kind of wanted to have a chance to fight Garth; just to see how strong and skilled I have become.

"Don't worry about it big guy. It's not like you would have hurt me anyway," I teased, going back to my old ways. I thought I'd stay a little darker for longer, but it seems being back has brought back my former self. It's probably for the best.

"Yah, I wanted to ask where you learned to fight like that. Taking out two wolves like nothing isn't anything like the Humphrey I use to know," Garth stated.

"Well, its because I'm not the Humphrey that you knew before all of this. I had to learn many things while a lone wolf, because it was either that or death." I wasn't surprised that there was an awkward silence after I said that, but hey it's the truth.

It was Garth that eventually broke the silence, saying that he and Lilly only came up to make sure I was okay. Then they left to go back to there own place. There were a few back and forth exchanges between Winston, Kate, Eve, and I; most of it had to do with the soon to be pups. After that, we all decided to call it a night and go to bed. I was a lot more tired than I would have expected considering all I've really done today is hunt one deer. I guess all this emotional stuff has gotten me a little exhausted.

Kate and I pressed up close together, happy that we were together once again.

Morning came quickly for me. I had become accustomed to waking up really early, as I was up before the sun and before everyone else in the den. Early starts allowed for an early hunt witch gave me more time to do other important things during the day. That really wouldn't be necessary anymore considering I am now living within the pack again, but I think it would be nice to go and catch Kate some breakfast.

I carefully got up, as to not disturb Kate, then quietly walked out of the den. I figured I would do a couple things before Kate woke up. We still have that big buck in the den so I don't have to worry about hunting this morning. I do, however, need to go for a swim and clean myself up. I kept this look up for a kind of deterrent, but now that I'm back I really don't have to keep on looking and smelling like this. Then after that I think I would further familiarize myself with out pack. Sure, I have lived here nearly my entire life and know quite a bit about it, but not really in great detail. Call me paranoid, but I like to be knowledgeable in detail about my surroundings. It helps bring a little peace to me.

I decided it would be best to walk around the pack first, and then take that bath later. I woke up early, early morning, and in a couple hours when the sun started to rise was when I finished my advanced sight seeing. It's weird how many little details I never noticed here before. There are so many little places you'd be able to hide; hell, there's a whole cave behind a waterfall I don't think anyone knows about. If me and my friends had, the things we would have done.

Anyway, I finished up with my scouting and decided it was high time for that bath. I found a nearby creek and saw it as the perfect place to wash up. I walked into the water and immediately saw weeks of dirt and filth wash off of me. I scrubbed every part of my body, making sure to get as clean as I could. To be honest, it felt really good to be clean again. I sighed with content as I walked out of the creek and shook myself dry. I kind of wish I knew what I looked like now that I was all clean. Oh well, I'm sure whatever reaction Kate has will tell me.

I started walking back up to the den, but stopped when I heard a twig snap behind me. I decided to keep walking, but I was on alert as I also caught the scent of someone nearby. Was it some sort of enemy? Not in the slightest. But it would be fun to let them think they have the upper paw. I heard multiple sets of paws leave the ground heading right towards me, but it was what I expected. I casually sidestepped out of the way as three wolves came crashing down all yelling, "Wolf pile!" Unfortunate for whoever was on bottom.

I heard a couple of loud things, followed by someone groaning. I looked behind me to see my three best friends: Salty, Shaky, and Mooch. Never thought I would be this happy to ever see them again, but man was it hard to contain my excitement.

"Nice try boys, but you'll have to try harder than that," I gave them a smug smirk. First they gave me a confused look, not realizing they had missed; that was short lived though, as they all got up and swarmed me. After that it was a non stop bombardment of questions. I sat their patiently waiting for them to calm down as it's understandable for them to have so many questions. It took them a moment, but eventually they caught on to what was happening. They gave sheepish apologies and backed off a little. Then Salty spoke.

"Humphrey, dude, I can't believe you're here! Everyone thought you were dead," he said.

"So I've heard," I chuckled. "But here I am, alive and well."

"I'll say," Mooch cut in, "You look like your some sort of alpha now." The others nodded in agreement as they looked over my body. "Being out there must of treated you well; except for that," Mooch pointed out the large scar on my body, bringing the others attention to it.

"What happened?" Salty asked.

"Flaming tree branches, they're a menace," I shrugged casually. The looks on their faces were priceless.

"Sounds like you had quite the adventure," Shaky commented. Yah, it was quite something alright.

"I'd love to stay and catch up fellas, but Kate is probably wondering where I am," I smiled, turning around and heading towards the den. "I'll see you all later and tell you all about my 'adventure'," I told them. I heard them say goodbye and that was that. I sure missed those guys. It's amazing think that the eight weeks I was gone Is the longest I have ever been away from them. I couldn't wait to catch up with them later, but right now I have a pregnant mate I have to worry about.

The pack was a little busier as I walked back to Kate, seeing others who had gotten up recently walking around most likely going to or coming from the feeding grounds. Again, I got some looks from wolves who by now know exactly who I am. The staring was a little weird, but it didn't really bother me.

I walked straight through the pack and up into the head alphas den where Kate was awake and eating from the deer.

"Morning," I greeted as I walked in, going over towards her and lying down next to her. I couldn't help but chuckle as I saw Kate stare at me with her mouth wide open. I guess I look pretty good.

"Humphrey, I didn't know you could look any better than you did. But now," she gave me a smile that sent shivers through my body.

"Well thank you. But I'll never look as good as you for as long as I live my sexy alpha." I chuckled, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'd say that you will always be my cute omega, but you're definitely more than that now," she chuckled. Oh, how I've missed this goddess of a wolf. I can't believe that I ever thought I could hate her.

"ahem," our attention was brought to the mouth of the den. "Is this a bad time?" A lump grew in my throat as I saw my brother, McCabe, standing there. He was looking down at the ground nervously. I wanted to shout at him to leave and to chase him off, but I fought off that urge and decided to settle this civilly.

I walked over to him and sat down a little ways away, gesturing for him to sit as well. My brother is a pure black wolf with green eyes, but what really set him apart from others was the crimson red streaks that went down his sides. It was strange, but apparently our great grandfather looked the same way. But that's besides the point. The point is that I he betrayed my trust and he knows that.

"Humphrey, there really isn't a great way to say this. Nothing I say will bring back the weeks that you were gone, and I know that. I just want you to know that I'm sorry that I didn't do something, anything, to help you out. I wish I could go back and just help you out. But all I can do is ask for your forgiveness and hope that maybe we can still be family," McCabe was in tears by this point, trying his best to keep himself together, but he was failing. It was strange seeing him like this; it's very rarely that I see him cry like this. The only thing is he could be faking. He can be a little manipulative. It's never to bad, usually he only does it to get out of trouble. However, I did learn a few cool tricks about reading others while I was gone and I do believe he is being genuine.

I took a deep sigh and put a paw on his shoulder, "McCabe," we looked into each others eyes. "I forgive you, brother," I smiled bringing him into a hug. He hugged me hard for a moment before pushing.

"Thank you, Humphrey. You may be a little different, but your still the kind hearted wolf we all know and love." He smiled.

"I try," I smiled back. We shared a small laugh. After, we said our goodbyes and he went on his way. I walked back over towards Kate who wore a giant smile on her face.

"What?" I chuckled.

"You really are sweet," she said.

"I suppose." I smiled softly.

Unknown

We are nearly there, I can just smell that weak and pathetic pack. Their pack will make a fine addition to my territory. Now all I have to do is wait. Soon their pack will run red with their blood as my packs howls of victory echo through the valley.

"Sir," one of my subordinates came up to me. "We are only a few miles away from the pack."

"Good," I smiled maliciously, "Send some scouts ahead. When they return I will rally the alphas and we will begin our assault."

"Yes sir," he saluted before taking off.

I laughed coldly to myself, "Prepare yourself, Jasper, for your time has come to an end."

Garth

I was patrolling the border with Hutch, doing usual alpha things, but I couldn't take my mind off of Humphrey. His return is shocking enough. After weeks of not being able to find him, we all just assumed him to be dead. But that's not what's been on my mind. He used to be so scrawny and weak, but the way he threw those wolves around yesterday has just stuck with me. He doesn't even look like he could. He seriously looks like a mad wolf which us one of the reasons I wanted to chase him off yesterday. But I guess looks are deceiving.

"Hey, Garth," Hutch called over, taking me away from my thoughts. "What's your thoughts on Humphrey coming back?"

"Surprised, more than anything," I answered him, getting an agreeing nod from him. "But I'm also glad he's back. I actually missed him not bothering me constantly," I chuckled.

"He definitely was quite the prankster," Hutch rolled his eyes. "But I'm mostly surprised about yesterday. I don't even think I could have done what he did," Hutch admitted. I want going to admit anything, but I doubt I could have done that either. And to think Humphrey learned that on his own, it doesn't seem right.

Suddenly our conversation was interrupted as Hutch quickly held up a paw, getting me to quiet down. I listened, trying to hear what was going on. I caught some talk to my right. Hutch and I quietly snuck around into some bushes until we saw a group of four wolves talking.

"Now all we have to do is return back and we can attack. This pack has no clue what's about to happen," one chuckled.

Hutch and I looked between each other and just nodded. We jumped from our hiding spots, catching the wolves completely off guard. With ease we took them down and knocked them all out.

"We need to get them back to the Winston quickly," I said, getting a nod from Hutch. We both put two wolves on our backs before sprinting towards the head alphas den where Winston should be right now.

Humphrey

It had quickly gotten to be around noon time and now both Eve and Winston were back in the den talking with me and Kate, but mostly Kate. It was easy to see that both were having trouble speaking directly with me, not that I made it any easier with what I said yesterday.

It was during the middle of a conversation that Garth and Hutch both came running into the den with a few wolves on their backs. All of us looked confused as they dropped the four wolves to the ground.

"Garth, Hutch, what's going on? Who are these wolves?" Winston asked what we were all thinking.

"We found them on the edge of the border. We heard them talking about an attack on the pack. They said once they get back then they'll start the attack," Garth explained. Got to say that was a bit of a shocker to me.

As we were talking, the wolves began to wake up. One sat up, but not before being snarled at by every alpha in the den. "Try anything and your dead," Garth threatened. He just glared at him before turning towards me. That's when I recognized him. Our eyes met and narrowed. In unison we both said:

"You."

* * *

 **Next chapter done and out. I've figured out I'll release chapters on Mondays and Thursdays until I'm done with this story, then I think I might start working Misery to a Good Life again, but we'll have to see how school goes.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'd appreciate to hear what you all think in the comments.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	7. The Lost Days

I stared at the familiar wolf, and he did the same back to me. The tension between us was felt throughout the entire den.

"Humphrey, you know these wolves?" Kate asked.

"Only him," I said, pointing to the white wolf with a. Lack tipped tail and gray eyes.

The wolf looked from me to Kate and smiled devilishly, "Ooo, is this your mate, Humphrey," he licked his lips suggestively, "Oh, the things I could do to her." That just made everyone in the den that much more pissed, including Eve who looked like she was about to RIP his head off.

"Hutch, Garth, could you take the others to the holding den, I need to speak with this one away from them," I growled. The two looked over towards Winston who nodded his head. Those two lead the other three wolves out of the den leaving only the white wolf.

We stared at each other for a good while, waiting until the others were sure to be out of ear shot. That's when I broke out into a big smile and he did as well.

"Its good to see you my friend," I laughed as I walked over to him and brought him into a big hug.

"Same to you," he replied, returning the hug. We were only there for a moment before pulling away. Not much of a surprise, as I turned around I saw everyone in the den looking more than confused.

"Could you please explain to us what's going on," Kate said, being a little annoyed.

"Of course. This is David, I met him during my exile. The pack that he's with that is planning on attacking us destroyed his old pack. Him, along with a couple of his friends, are trying to take it down from the inside." I explained to them.

"That doesn't explain why he made those remarks," Kate growled.

"I do apologize for that, Kate, but I have to keep up an act around those other wolves as to not be suspicious. I would never actually do anything like that to anyone," David told her, getting Kate, as well as the others, to calm down.

"So how are the others?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Andy and Smitty are doing just fine," he smiled.

"Hold on, could you please explain to us how you know each other, please?" Winston asked.

"Of course, it happened at the end of my first week in exile," I started, remembering back seven weeks ago.

 **Flashback**

I had been wandering around after a hard days work, my entire body aching from my intense work outs, and by the still healing burn on my side. I don't really know what was leading me so far away from my den, but something drove me to explore my surroundings. I was a couple miles away from my den and decide that I better get heading back so I would get back before it got too dark.

As I turned around and started walking back, I was suddenly surrounded by seven wolves who came out of seemingly nowhere. I jumped back, being frozen for a second as the wolves circled me. I snapped out of my fear though, knowing I had to stand my ground.

"Well, well, well, what's a little omega like you doing so far out here?" a wolf, who I presumed to be the leader, asked mockingly.

I responded by getting down in a fighting stance, getting a clear signal that these guys had no intentions of just asking me questions then letting me go. I was in danger and we all knew it. "What do you want from me," I growled.

"You're trespassing in out territory, and we don't let anyone get away with that," he chuckled coldly. I silently cursed at myself. How could I be so stupid to just stumble into someone else's pack. If I survive this then I'm going to kick my own ass.

"Just let me go and no one has to get hurt," I said threateningly as a last ditch effort to save my own tail. I was clearly outmatched, but I had to at least try and get out of it.

"Oh, I'm so scared of the little omega. What could you do to us," he laughed with the others joking in, being very right with his words. I gulped, knowing this wasn't going to be good for me.

"Get him," the leader ordered. Suddenly I was getting attacked by six wolves as their leader watch with a pleased smile. I was scratch, bitten, clawed, and all out torn by my attackers. I figured this was it, that I was going to die here. I expected there to be no end to my suffering, but it all came to an abrupt end as their leader called them off.

He slowly walked over to my beaten and shredded body, looking quite happy at the condition I was in. "This is what you get for being a weak, pathetic little wolf," he spat, picking me up by my throat with his mouth.

"Please, don't," I gasped out, struggling to breath or even remain conscious at this point. But I saw no mercy in his eyes. I closed my eyes, waiting for death to take me. But it seems luck was on my side that day. I was suddenly knocked free from the grasp of that wolf. I opened up my eyes to see what was happening, but all I saw were blurs fighting off the wolves that had attacked me and beaten me to near death. Eventually I heard their leader call for a retreat and that's about the time my body gave up on me. I passed out, still thinking that I was going to die from the blood loss.

The next thing I knew was that I woke up in my den. For a second I wondered if it had all been a bad dream, but the pain I felt on my entire body told me it all actually happened. I attempted to get up, but a surge of pain shot through my body causing me to collapse to the ground and yelp in pain.

"Well that wasn't very smart of you," a voice chuckled from behind me. I quickly looked. Behind me to see three wolves looking at me. My ears flattened with fear and I began to shake with fear, expecting anything beating.

"Hey, there's no need to be afraid, we're the ones who save you," the white wolf stated. That got me to calm down, but I was still skeptical.

"Thank you," I said. Even just saying that took a lot of energy.

"Not a problem, taking care of those wolves was nice and easy."

"yah, kicking ass is just what we do," the brown wolf gloated. The other two just rolled their eyes.

"So, what's your name?" the white wolf asked.

"I'm Humphrey," I told them.

"Nice to meet you Humphrey. I'm David, the loud mouth is Andy, and the scary one is Smitty." David smiled, introducing all of them.

"Its nice to meet you all, and thank you again for saving me."

"So, Humphrey, what's bothering you?" David suddenly asked, catching me a little off guard.

"I… I don't know what you mean," I said.

"Come on, it's as plain as day. I bet if you talk about it, it will make you feel better," David assured me. It felt weird that they were prying me for information, but they didn't seem like they meant me any harm. I saw that they only wanted to help. So I decided to tell them. I explained to them why I was out here all alone, and how I had been wrongly accused of murder leading to my banishment. After I was done they all looked at me with sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that my friend. No wolf should have to go through all of that."

"I guess that's just what life had in store for me," I sighed. It seems life was being pretty hard on me, and didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon.

I yawned and looked outside to see it was close to noon. "How long was I out for," I asked.

"About two days, give or take a few hours," David replied. I found it amazing that I had been out for that long, it seemed like only minutes.

"Can I ask you guys something?"

"Go ahead, though only me and David here will be able to give you a response. This fella doesn't talk much, and by much I mean not at all." Andy explained. I didn't see why that was anything I needed to know at that moment, but this Andy just seemed like that kind of wolf.

"Why did you help me?"

"First off, we couldn't just stand by and let an innocent wolf get killed like that, it wouldn't bright," David stated.

"But going up three to seven isn't an easy task, yet you put yourselves in danger to save me, a wolf you knew nothing about."

"Well, there is another reason," David said. "You see, the leader of that pack attacked and murdered the old alpha from our pack. Then, to make sure he stayed in power he killed everyone who opposed him including all of our parents. Luckily, our parents were able to convince Alex to spare us. That was nearly two and a half years ago; when we were only pups. We saw many friends and family slaughtered in front of us. We three were lucky. Every since, the bastard treats anyone lower than him like crap, barely even keeping the omegas fed while working them to near death. He also has a love for war, invading anyone he can. To make a long story short, we vowed to take revenge against these bastards and always stand up against their tyranny. To do that we have been working our way up in the system and are going to try and take it down from the inside." I saw each of them start to get a little emotional, but David was definitely the worst off as tears were flowing down his cheeks, but he still kept on a fierce look of determination.

There was a pause in the conversation for a moment while I let David recompose himself. Then he smiled over at me.

"Humphrey, considering that you seem like a nice wolf and I don't want you to die out here, me and my friends are going to teach you how to fight, as well as defend yourself, among some other skills we believe will benefit you out here," David said, catching me completely by surprise.

"You are?" I asked.

"We are?" Andy also questioned, getting him a light punch to the shoulder by Smitty.

"Yes," David stated assertively, "We cant just leave him out here like this. No offense, but you'll most likely die." I was a little offended, but I also knew his words to be true. No amount of working out would give me the necessary skills to survive out here alone.

The next day, after I got feeling a little better from my beat down, and for the next three weeks all I did was train. Any time of day, any conditions they drilled me hard. Sleep was rare and so was food, and training was constant. They taught me to fight, how to be stealthy, how to stalk someone, how to blend in with your surroundings, among a lot of other things. It was the hardest, most grueling three weeks of my life. In the end, however, I found it all to be worth it. Not only was I now more than capable to take care of myself and survive out here, but I also made three great friends. Sure they were tough with me as they showed very little remorse for my suffering, it they were doing it to help me out.

After the three weeks, David said it was about time they get back to their pack. He said he was pretty close with the leader and could convince him that the three of them were doing something important for the pack these past three weeks. We all had a heartfelt goodbye a d that was the last I saw of them until today.

 **End of Flashback**

Everyone in the den seemed to be fascinated by the story, even Garth and Hutch who had come back in the middle of the story.

"That's quite the story," Winston stated, getting a nod from everyone else.

"Yah, they came to my aid in my darkest hour and saved my life. I owe them a lot."

"You owe us nothing," David smiled, "Just helping out our fellow wolf."

"So, going back to the imminent threat of being invaded, how are you doing on your plan?" I asked, being slightly concerned.

"Not going to lie, this whole invasion came very abruptly and out of nowhere. The leader, Alex, got some information on this pack and his bloodthirsty nature kicked in. So I've been trying to think of something before anything gets out of paw." David explained.

"What kind of dangers are we talking here?" Winston questioned with a lot of concern, this is his pack after all and he has a lot of wolves to worry about.

"This pack is full of savage wolves who will stop at nearly nothing to get what they want, and Alex is the worst of them. He will sacrifice as many wolves as he need to get his way." David told us, not making anyone feel any better.

"When I get back and report to Alex, he will ready his wolves to attack early tomorrow. I was going to wind-it and just assassinate him tonight while he's sleeping, but I was attacked and brought here."

"So if we let you go, you'll end this problem tonight?" Winston asked.

David nodded, "If not, I'll warn you as soon as I can. I'd get your wolves ready if I were you."

Winston looked to be thinking for a moment, putting together all this new information to come up with the best plan for everyone.

"You get out of here and do what you need. We'll prepare everything we need to. Garth, we need to send the omegas, elders and pups to the safe den for protection. Hutch, we need every able alpha prepared for a battle just in case things don't go well for David. We need to move fast," Winston ordered. Hutch and Garth took off while David stayed back for a moment.

"It was good seeing you again, and hopefully we will see each other soon," he smiled. And with that he left the den.

I faced Kate and was a little worried. There was no way she would be able to make it all the way to the safe den in her condition. She'd have to stay here which means I would not leave her side the entire time. I would fight to my dying breath to protect her and my unborn pups.

 **David**

I said goodbye to my good friend Humphrey then took off out of the den. I rushed down the ramp and towards the scent of my "pack mates". I actually despise most of the wolves in this pack, but I've put up with it for the past couple of years to reach my goal; get payback and kill that son of a bitch Alex. And it seems like tonight will be the night where that happens.

I rushed to the holding den, quickly incapacitating the guards there and freeing the wolves inside. We wasted no time in getting out of here, quickly crossing over the border and out of their territory.

We rushed back as quick as we could to Alex, knowing very well he would be angry with us arriving late. If he knew we had been captured he'd have us killed. That's why when we got back to the pack we all agreed to say we had stopped to hunt for a little snack.

We got back and all went our separate ways, and since I'm the leader of that hunting party I had to report back to Alex. I made my way to his den where he was undoubtedly talking with his advisors about the upcoming war. When I entered the den, attention was immediately pointed towards me. Alex was at the back, but definitely positioned to be the center of attention. Then there were three of his advisors- he was looking for a new one because a previous one had suggested something he was not to find of- and the new wolf who had come to us a few weeks ago. He's the one who has supplied us with all the information to take on the Central pack. From what I can tell he's a former alpha from the pack who either ran away or was banished; either way he isn't all that friendly. I think his name is Jordan if I remember correctly.

"David, you've finally returned. You sure took your sweet time," Alex stared at me unapprovingly.

"Apologies sir, my team and I stopped for a quick snack on our way back," I lied, which I knew would work. I've become one of his most trusted wolves, and even though he acts tough around me I know he trusts all that I do; that would be his downfall.

"I don't care for your excuses, just tell me what information you have," he demanded.

"Of course. They're not prepared for a surprise invasion. They have patrols in quarter mile increments across their border, but they could easily be overwhelmed as a patrol party is only a group of two wolves. It would be hard to sneak our way through, but if we focus on one area and go full force I believe we would be able to quickly get to the center of their pack where you can kill their alpha," I gave my advice on what I had seen. I would have tried to lie a little, but with that former central pack wolf, it makes it impossible.

Alex nodded his head, looking very please with all this information I was giving him. Wouldn't do him any good though, because after tonight he would be dead by my teeth.

"Very good, thank you David," Alex said, followed by him dismissing me. I bowed my head and exited the den. I immediately went to find the others, wanting to give them the news. Andy is a hunter so his job should be done for the day, while Smitty is reserved only for fighting; so I'll most likely find them together somewhere. I looked in the first place I expected them to be, being on the outskirts of the pack away from everyone else.

To no surprise, that's exactly where I found them. They looked over to me when I arrived, noticing that I seemed happier than usual.

"What's got you so happy? Did someone on your scout team die again?" Andy questioned.

"No, something a lot better. I got captured." The looks on their faces after I said that was priceless.

"You gonna elaborate on that?" Andy asked.

"I got captured by the central pack and was able to meet an old friend. Seems our pal Humphrey was found innocent and brought back into the pack. Even better, it looks like his mate was pregnant and is expecting any day now." I told them. Andy seemed to enjoy the news a little more, but only because now Smitty owed him a days worth of food.

"That's great, I'm glad he's finally happy again," Andy stated. No doubt. It was easy to see the emotional stress Humphrey was going through during the time we stayed with him. He was definitely in a lot better shape when I saw him again today.

"That's all great and all, but aren't we forgetting something. We'll be invading that pack tomorrow," Andy pointed out.

"Yeah, about that; I have come up with kind of a plan," I said, gaining their full attention. "With such little time, I figured I'd just assassinate him tonight and get it over with. Hopefully a power grab will tear the pack apart," I told them. Neither of them seemed too impressed with the plan, and to be honest I know it isn't the greatest thing I've come up with. But we all agreed that it is the best thing we could come up with on such short notice. That means everything we have gone through to get here will finally be worth it tonight.

It is around midday right now, so it will only be a few hours until I can try and end it all.

We waited around, going on about our day as usual. There was a definite mood change though, as everyone was thirsty to spill blood. They're all insane. I wish I could get rid of the entire pack but that would be a little difficult, plus I don't think I could carry the weight of an entire deal pack on my back no matter how horrible most of them are. There are some good wolves in this pack. Even though they may share in the craving for domination, some are still very kind. That's why I'm hoping killing Alex will bring this pack down and potentially knock some sense into wolves and get them to see just what they're doing.

Night came quickly and my nerves started kicking in. A lot could go wrong with this and I could potentially die. But I knew I had to do this; to avenge my pack and every pack that has been affected by Alex.

I was going to replace the guard who usually stayed up all night to get closer to Alex, but something strange happened. Alex howled, signaling a meeting. He wasn't meant to do this until tomorrow.

I met up with Andy and Smitty at the meeting, all of us being equally confused and worried. We looked to see Alex perched on a high ledge for everyone to see. He wore a sadistic smile and greeted the crowd.

"Now I know I told everyone we would invade in the morning, but something has come up. I was advised to do something else, and because of this we will attack tonight! We will march to the central pack under the cover of night and attack them while they sleep, slaughtering everyone who dares stand in our way." He shouted, getting the crowd to roar with approval. All except for Andy, Smitty, and myself. I signaled them to follow me and we got out if the crowd and disappeared into the surrounding forest.

"So this isn't good," I stated.

"Yah, what are we going to do?" Andy asked. "Do we go through with it?"

I shook my head, "No, not again. Once is too many, I don't care how much we want to avenge our pack. We are not going through that again." I asserted. I was met with no complaints.

"We have to leave. It may ruin everything we have done, but it's better than letting an entire pack get slaughtered when we could have done something." It was quiet after I said that. No doubt they were thinking about everything we would be throwing away, all our hard work getting this far into the pack will all be for nothing. But in the end they agreed. We all looked at each other and nodded, followed by us sprinting at full speed towards the central pack in order to warn them of what is coming.

 **Humphrey**

I was worried. Worried for what tomorrow has in store for this pack. Every omega and pup were taken to the hidden dens so they would probably be safe. But that doesn't assure their safety. If our alphas can't defend our home and send those savages back to where they came then our pack is doomed. Then there is Kate. In her condition there is no way she would be able to make it all the way to those dens, so we chose to stay in the alphas den. We would be guarded by two alphas, and then they'd have to get past me, but that still doesn't mean I'm not scared something will happen to her and my pups. I don't know if I could live if anything were to happen to them.

It was getting late and I knew I had to get my sleep. Kate had already fallen asleep, assuring me that everything would be fine. I want so sure, but I played along. I lied my head on the floor and decided to try and get some sleep because I was undoubtedly going to need it.

Just as I was about to drift into sleep, three figures burst through the entrance of the den, causing me to jump up and instinctively take a defensive stance in front of Kate. My snarls at the figures had woken up everyone else in the den as well. However, when my eyes adjusted and I saw who it was I became shocked. David, Andy, and Smitty were standing in front of me looking very worried. Instantly I knew something was wrong.

"What the hell are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be killing that Alex wolf?"

"He changed his plans, he's attacking tonight. You need go get all your wolves ready; war is coming."


	8. Battle for Jasper

**Humphrey**

I stood amongst a few dozen alphas, waiting for the incoming invasion. I was going to stay with Kate throughout all of this, but thanks to a couple of wolves I was convinced to come and fight on the battlefield; Kate wasn't a big fan of the idea. I assured her that I would come back no matter what.

After more talking, we came to find out that bastard Jordan is the whole reason we are being invaded. This was a problem for many reasons. First thing, he knows exactly where the hidden dens are where all the pups and omegas are hiding. Upon hearing this, Winston immediately sent over a group of Alphas to protect them, and told them to find any capable omega to guard the pups as well. It was honestly suicide for an omega to fight an alpha, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Next thing to be done was the assembly of all the remaining alphas who would face the threat head on. Among them was my brother. We made eye contact for a moment for a moment and gave each other a nod of encouragement.

When all the alphas where there Andy couldn't help himself from making some comments. "So this is the central pack, huh. Looks nice, but I think the alphas could use some work," he stated, getting everyone riled up. David just shook his head while Smitty gave Andy a deathly glare.

"Who do you think you are? I could take you on anytime anywhere scrawny boy," Garth growled. Love the dude, but he is way too sensitive about his pride.

"Oh, this ones got a temper. Did I touch a nerve there big boy," Andy teased. That earned him a hard smack to the back of the head from Smitty.

"Knock it off everyone. Did you all forget that we're at war here. We don't need to kill each other before the enemy even gets here," I growled, getting everyone to shut up.

"Thank you, Humphrey. You heard the wolf, we are fighting today for the survival of our pack, and from what I've been told it's not going to be easy. I wont lie to you, some of you may die, but you need to remember why you are fighting. You all have mates and pups hiding, waiting for you to return to them. We fight for them, to assure that they have a pack to come back too. We will win this because we have to." There was a moment of silence after Winston spoke before he ordered everyone to move out.

David told us just where Alex was planning on coming from and that's where we would wait, and have been waiting for a good hour now. Everyone was starting to get antsy as the time went in with no sign of the enemy. I looked around to see nervous eyes, ones full of determination, and ones that were draped in fear. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous, but it would also feel a little nice to get some payback and show them just how far I have come.

I looked to my left and saw David, Andy, and Smitty looking very ready to fight. It's what they've been was wanting for years now, to avenge their pack. I looked to my right and saw my brother McCabe, and brother-in-law Garth, both looking ready to fight for their pack, though I could still see the slightest hint of nervousness in them.

A scent caught my attention and looked in the direction of the smell and what I saw wasn't very pleasing. Silhouettes of dozens of wolves walked through the trees, advancing on our position. It didn't take long until the entire pack noticed the approaching army. We were all facing the enemy, preparing ourselves as they got closer and closer. Alex was the first to emerge from the trees with a crooked smile on his face and bloodlust in his eyes. I hadn't even realized he was the one who almost killed me two months earlier; David nor the other two told me. After him followed his pack all having the same look in their eyes.

Alex wanted no time to make himself heard. "It seems our plans were somehow found out. Now how on Earth could that of happened?" he asked while he scanned our pack, no doubt he was seizing us up. Eventually, his eyes landed on his former subordinates.

"David, Andy, and Smitty? I'm a little surprised that it was you three," he stated calmly, but I could easily tell his anger was building from the betrayal.

"You will pay for your crimes, Alex. You are responsible for killing our pack and we swore vengeance, no matter the risk. You will pay with your life," David snarled, looking like he was going to attack right now; fortunately, he was able to control himself for now.

"It's a real shame, you were some of my best wolves. Oh well. All I know now is that it will be nice skinning you alive and keeping your furs as a nice warm blanket," he spat.

His eyes eventually landed on me and his mood changed from pissed, to moderately amused. "Well, if it isn't the one who got away. Humphrey, isn't it?" he smiled, obviously trying to get in my head. But it was obvious Jordan was the one who told him that. I hope I see that son of a bitch somewhere around here; I'll be happy to end his life.

"Come at me again, and I can guarantee the outcome will be different," I growled.

"Still stupidly brave, I would have thought that we beat that put of you. Oh well, I'll just have to kill you to show you why you don't mess with me or my pack." With that he signaled for his wolves to attack, beginning the battle.

His wolves rushed at us with a war cry that sent chills down my spine, but I wasn't going to back down. I will show these sons of bitches just how strong I have gotten since our last encounter. They will regret ever crossing paths with me.

Wolves clashed and blood was immediately spilled. Biting, tearing of the flesh, being mauled to death was all around me, happening to wolves of both sides. I rushed to the front lines, being met with a wolf flying at me. I sidestepped his attack, quickly flipping around to face my attacker. He snarled in my face, letting me know he wasn't afraid to take my life. That was good to know, now I don't feel like I need to hold back.

He came running at me again but was met by a quick snack to the face sending him sliding a couple feet to the left of me. Too easy. The wolf stood up looking a bit dazed, but quickly refocused on me. Not wasting any time he charged me again. I decided that I was taking too long and that I needed to end this and get back to the real fight. Right before he crashed into me, I jumped out of the way, then quickly diverted my momentum back towards the confused looking wolf. I landed right on his back and dug my fangs into the back of his neck, quickly taking away his life. The body dropped to the ground and I got off of him. I spit the remaining blood out of my mouth and looked for another victim.

That's when I noticed McCabe was starting to get a bit overwhelmed. He is a pretty skilled alpha, but he cant take on four wolves by himself; three maybe, but not four. I rushed over to help him, taking one of the wives away from him; this distracted the others long enough for McCabe to get the jump on them. Within seconds the group went from four to two. The remainders looked a little scared, but they did not back down.

The two broke away from one another; one coming for me and the other for McCabe. If he is anything like the others, it won't take that long. However, I was a little taken back by his speed as he leapt at me with his claws aimed for my throat. I narrowly avoided him, but still suffered some scratches to my side. I seethed a little from the stinging pain, quickly turning around. It seems I would have to try a little harder with this one.

We circled one another for a few moments before he again launched himself at me, this time I was ready. I ducked under him, snatching his back leg in my mouth as he flew overhead. His momentum, plus me holding his leg in my mouth caused for a loud snap. I let go, turning to see him screaming in pain with a now broken leg. I walked over to him, ready to put him down. He stared up at me and accepted his fate, exposing his neck perfectly for me to tear into it. I was about to, but I stopped. It didn't seem right to kill him. He wouldn't be able to do any harm anymore. He may be my enemy, but I'm not some heartless wolf. And hey, maybe if I show him some mercy he might change his mind about a few things.

"Get out of here, your fight here is over," I told him. He gave me a look of pure shock.

"You're not going to finish me off?" he asked. I shook my head, telling him there was no point in us fighting anymore. I clearly one and I am letting him leave to live another day.

"Now get out of here before I change my mind," I said to him. He looked suspicious and uneasy about the whole thing, but he did as I said and left the battlefield. After I saw him disappear into the forest, I turned around to see McCabe finishing off the girl who had been fighting him.

"Thanks for the assist," McCabe smiled at me, "Never thought I'd see the day were my younger brother, the omega, is a better fighter than me," he chuckled.

"Well, you know I'm just a wolf full of surprises. Now come on we should get back in the fight," I said, getting him to nod.

What followed was a gruesome and bloody battle of wolves tearing each other apart. I went from fighting one wolf to another for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was only about fifteen minutes. Never had I felt so tire in my life, my body burning and aching with the strain I was putting on myself, not to mention the gashes, cuts, and bruises all over my body.

I had just finished snapping a wolves neck as I stood there panting, trying to catch my breath. I looked around to see the carnage around me. Blood flooded the ground and tainted the air with its smell. It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced. If only this could have been avoided, but that bastard Alex just couldn't leave us be. He was the problem that needs to be felt with.

I looked around for him, scanning the outskirts of the fight as that is most likely where he would be; however, I didn't see him anywhere. He wasn't anywhere on the battlefield either, he was just gone. That didn't sit too well with me; something was wrong and I had a very bad feeling about it. My eyes suddenly snapped open as I realized just where he was. I looked back towards the center of the pack, knowing exactly where I was going to find him. I started running back towards where Kate was having to dodge and duck out of the way from attacks until I was clear of the battlefield. Then, using everything I had, I sprinted off towards Kate.

I was three quarters of the way there when I heard the howl of a wolf in pain, coming straight from the head alphas den. I knew it. shouldn't have left to go on into the battlefield. I knew I should have stayed and protected Kate.

I pushed myself even harder, going full speed up the ramp and into the den passing by two dead wolves as I entered. What I saw made my stomach churn. Alex and two of his wolves were circling Winston and Eve as Kate hid in the back of the den. Its lucky I got here when I did, no offense to my alphas, but they don't stand a chance up against this warmonger.

"Alex," I snarled, catching everyone's attention. Alex faced me, immediately bursting out in laughter when he saw me.

"So you've come to face me? How adorable. Next time just send a pup, it will leave less of a mess," he laughed, signaling for his goons to attack me. The one thing they had going for them is that I am exhausted from already fighting. However, I'm fighting for everything I have ever loved, so I have that going for me.

It was obvious from the start that these two had a lot more training than most of those other wolves I already fought. They were a lot more precise with every movement they made, making sure not to allow any opening for me to attack them. This was going to be a little more difficult than I first anticipated.

For a moment we were at a stalemate as all we did was circle each other. They definitely have the upper paw with there being two of them, but I'm not going to let that stop me from protecting my mate.

I made a quick lunge towards the closest of the wolves, aiming straight for his tail which I doubt he would expect. As I anticipated, he dodged me coming for his body but left his tail completely unguarded. I clamped down tight making his eyes shoot open as he howled in pain. I yanked him towards me with all my strength causing a popping sound to come from his tail, which is now more than likely dislocated, as he came towards me I swung my paw hard across his face which caused him to fall to the floor. I was barely able to get out of the way from his friend as he came charging towards me. I jumped over his attack, causing him to become confused. He looked back at me as I landed on the ground, growling in frustration. This time we both charged at each other, ready to clash. However, right before we reach one another I flipped around onto my back and started sliding under him. He was going much too fast to try and do anything else leaving me a perfect opportunity to lunge for his throat. I clamped gown tight to his jugular, causing him to cough and gag and eventually gurgle as blood started pooling up in his neck. In one swift motion I tore out his jugular causing him to collapse; he was dead before he hit the ground.

In my moment of victory I totally forgot about the other wolf who made his way onto my back biting at the back if my neck. I was able to quickly flip him off me before too much damage was done, but he was able to get a couple swipes at me causing me to start bleeding. He looked a little worse off. Tail was dangling from the back and it looks like I was able to dislocate his jaw as well.

"You can leave now and this can end, or I assure you I will put you down," I growled. He looked like he was about to back down, but he quickly shook that feeling away and decided the best thing to do was charge recklessly at me. He was dead in less than a minute. I threw the body aside and looked up to Alex.

"No more sending others to do your dirty work. Now it's just you and me." He looks a little less amused now, but he wasn't at all intimidated.

"Oh Humphrey, you may have killed some of my best wolves but none of them compare to me. And when I'm done gutting you, I'll make sure your mate doesn't suffer too much," he grinned as he advanced towards me.

"You wont lay a paw on her," I snarled, launching myself at him. He was able to easily sway me to the side, causing me to crash to the ground and slide a few feet. I quickly got up, going back into a defensive stance.

"Pathetic," he mocked me. My anger levels were rising, but I needed to keep a cool head. This is what he wants. This is how he's going to easily beat me. I need to fight him like everyone else and not get distracted by his taunting.

We started circling, getting ready for the real fight. He was the first to act, quickly charging at me. He was definitely very quick for his size, but not quick enough. I swiftly jumped out of the way, turning towards him and going for a lunge. He turned around just in time for his face to be met with my claws. He reared back in pain, swearing up a storm and threatening that he would skin me alive. I went for another attack, but this time it was him who countered. He grabbed my paw with his, delivering a few quick blows to my ribs the throwing ne across the den. I groaned as I picked myself to from the ground, he definitely is a hard hitter.

As I was picking myself up, Alex again charged at me; this time I wasn't quick enough to get away. He rammed into me, sending me flying into the walls of the den a sharp cracking noise being heard as I made impact. I started coughing uncontrollably, hacking up some blood in the process. I tried to pick myself up again, but every move I made sent a sharp pain to my side.

"I told you Humphrey, I'm not like those other wolves, you will not be able to beat me," he bellowed. He was right, I wont be able to beat him in my current state. I'm too tired and too hurt to do anything. But I'm also not one for giving up. I will fight this monster until one of us is dead.

I was finally able to get to my feet, breathing hard as I faced Alex once again. "You don't understand, do you. I don't care how strong you are, or how skilled you are. As long as you are still breathing I will try and end you reign of terror."

Alex stared at me stone-faced, "Brave, I'll give you that. But it doesn't mean you'll win this." Then, with full intentions of killing me this time, Alex came with one final charge. This would have to be my final attempt to do something, because I don't know how much longer I can stay consciousness. Even now I can feel myself slipping. This was the final stand, and I think I have the perfect thing. One final trick that I hope would work.

A few feet before he reached me, I jumped into the air, doing a little flip, and landed perfectly on Alex's back. Honestly, I was as surprised as him that it actually worked. I immediately started tearing into him, biting and clawing at every thing I could as he tried to throw me off. It took him awhile, but when he did manage to get me off the damage was already done. His entire back was oozing with blood and if he didn't take care of it he would certainly die from blood loss, and he knew it.

He growled and whined and panted as he faced my collapsed body. I could see the rage in his eyes and knew he wanted to kill me, but his time was fleeting. "I'll be back for your head," he snarled before running out from the den.

I smiled, I couldn't believe I did it. I knew I wasn't going to be able to kill him so getting him to leave was the next best thing, and I'm actually a little surprised it worked. The unfortunate thing is that I'm in a lot worse shape than him. It came quick, but I slipped away into unconsciousness the last thing I heard was Kate calling out my name.

I figured that was it for me, that I wouldn't be waking up again. I was proven wrong as I opened my eyes and saw myself in the healers den. I could see the morning sun shining through the entrance, and I looked down to a sight that brought a smile to my face. Kate was laying down right next to me, pushed up against my side. I did move myself back a little though, as the pressure on my side brought excruciating pain.

Looking down at my sides I saw some recently applied bandages wrapping around my entire body. I was really hurt this time, even though it's nothing Earl isn't used to by now. I would be in here all the time as a pup with all the shenanigans I got into. Those were the days, days that were so much simpler.

I continued to smile down at Kate, glad that she is okay and that nothing bad happened to her. I would much rather lie down my own life than see her lifeless body. My soul would just be crushed and I don't know what I would do with myself.

After awhile of not creepily staring at my sleeping mate, I decided to wake her up. "Kate, wake up Kate," I whispered in her ear.

"mmm, five more minutes," she grumbled. Oh, how original I chuckled to myself.

"Ahh, come on Kate. I want to see those beautiful eyes of yours," I teased. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she looked over at me.

"Humphrey!" she screamed, hugging me tightly causing me to yelp in pain. "Oh, sorry." She apologized.

"No problem," I whined, still feeling the pain of her hug attack. "I'm just happy to see how much you care for me," I chuckled, causing me even more pain. This is torture.

"I was just so worried. You were out for four days. I thought I lost you again after just getting you back," she sighed. Kate was looking very tired. Probably being a little emotionally drained. And four days? That's a new record for sure.

"What happened after I passed out?" I was almost afraid to know the answer.

"Alex called for a full retreat, taking him and his wolves away. Not that it mattered much, our pack was kicking their asses. We only lost ten to their twenty. It'll be hard for them to recover from that," she smiled. "A lot of that is thanks to you. Nearly every wolf who fought came to pay respect to you for how you fought. Seems like your even more popular." Kate proudly stated. "And I can see where they're coming from. The way you fought Alex and his wolves was like nothing I have ever seen before. I definitely wasn't taught that in alpha school."

To be honest, I didn't really know what to say. I was just doing what any wolf would do for their mate which is protect them. I didn't think it was anything special, but apparently a lot of others thought otherwise. "Well, I'm just glad that your fine." Was my final response.

"Kate, it's been four days. I think we should think about…" I heard Winston's voice start saying as he walked in the den, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. "Humphrey! Your okay!" he exclaimed happily.

"Yah, luckily," I grinned. There was no doubt that I should be dead from the injuries I sustained; it's only by some sort of miracle that I was able survive.

"So how are you feeling?" Winston asked.

"Other than the immense pain I feel from my side, I feel fine," I chuckled which didn't make me feel any better.

"That's good to hear. You must be starving, I'll go grab you some food."

"Thank you, Winston," I smiled as he left the den. I thought it would be a lot easier to retain a hatred for the wolves of this pack for what they put me through. But you know what, I think I'm going to get over that. Why live in a world of hatred, that's just not fun for anyone involved.

A few minutes after Winston left, Earl walked in. As he did he looked over at me and grew a large smile on his face. "Humphrey, your finally awake," he expresses joyfully. "I want sure you were going to pull through, your lucky this time."

"Aren't I always," I shrugged playfully, referencing back to all the many times I have been brought into here and somehow managed to walk away without suffering from anything severe.

"You really are," he chuckled. Suddenly out of nowhere, Kate let out a little gasp.

"Are you okay, Kate?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh, Humphrey, a rent you just the luckiest dog," she panted, making me a little confused.

"I'm not following," I admitted.

"Its time," she shouted in pain. My eyes shot wide open and panic started to set in. It was time, she was giving birth now. I didn't know what to do but decided to go with the bumbling like an idiot approach. Earl came up chuckling and lightly pushed me away.

"All you have to do is hold her paw and keep her breathing, I'll take care of the rest," he assured me.

"Alright, that seems easy enough," I said.

He chuckled, "We'll see about that." I don't like the way he said that.

And I soon learned why as I felt my paw being crushed for the next eternity, actually it was about an hour but it really felt like an eternity.

But it was all worth it in the end, because after it was all done I was able to see my four children sprawled out on the ground and Kate picked them clean. They are beautiful and started to make me tear up. I can't believe that I'm actually a father. It seemed surreal, and I couldn't be happier.

"Congratulations you two, it seems like you have two new sons and two new daughters," Earl smiled happily for us. He then said the he'd leave us alone for a bit, he was still caring for a lot of other wolves in another location who had suffered injuries during the battle.

"Can you believe it, Humphrey, we're actually parents," Kate said with tears in her eyes as well.

"I know, it's amazing." I looked closer at our pups, seeing how they looked. The oldest one, being a boy, looked just like me, with the same exact fur pattern. Next was our oldest girl who was gray with a white underbelly. The next oldest, also being a girl, looked identical to Kate. Then there's our youngest son. He had a mixture of gray and tan all around him. His body was a darker tan, with his tail, muzzle, and two paws being gray. He looked like no other wolf I had seen. He was definitely our special little pup.

Kate and I discussed their appearances, both loving how all of them looked. Next came something we never really talked about.

"What should we name them?" Kate asked. I really didn't know. We sat their for awhile, shooting names back and forth between each other; eventually we were able to settle with four names we both loved. Dakota would be our oldest son, followed by Katie, and then Hannah, and lastly our youngest son being Blaze.

This truly will be a day I always remember. I snuggled close to Kate, letting her get some much deserved rest as our pups fed from her. Rest sounded really nice; I'm still tired even after being out for four days. I rested my head on top of Kate falling asleep knowing my life was great again.


	9. A Better Day

I woke up to another wonderful day. It has been a little over two weeks since our battle with Alex's pack, and exactly two weeks since I woke up from my little coma. Ever since that day things have been nice and peaceful. Alex really underestimated our pack, and with the help of myself plus David, Andy, and Smitty, our pack came out with minimal casualties. Unfortunately, we did end up losing some wolves, but the other packed suffered a much greater loss in numbers. I hope to never see those bastards again.

After the battle, Andy, Smitty, and David returned back to their territory. They were able to sway many of the wolves to give up following Alex, and those who stayed loyal were chased away. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find Alex and give him what he deserves. However, the good thing to focus on is that he is no longer a major threat, though we will still have to keep an eye out for him and any of his followers.

Back at the other pack, David and the other two were seen as heroes and were asked to lead the pack. However, they knew they weren't leader material and gave that position to the son of the old pack leader; they were still made co-leaders though as a thank you for all they did. It's funny that they spent all that time freeing their pack, but they decided to stay in the central pack. With Winston's permission, they were made official members of the pack. When I asked them why they chose here and not their old pack, they explained to me that they really didn't know anyone there anymore. Everyone that tied them there was dead now. They just felt obligated to save them all from Alex. Then they went on to say that they have me as a friend here which is why they chose this pack. I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up when they told me that.

Going into a little more detail about what happened two weeks ago, the second greatest thing in my life happened. My pups were born and I was officially made a father. Seeing them after they were born is a feeling that is unexplainable in words. I knew I could never let anything happen to these four, I would lay down my own life if it meant they could survive.

Since my pups are two weeks old, any day now they should be opening their eyes and soon after that they'll be able to leave the den and explore the outside world. I really hope none of them are like me in the regards of having a habit of hurting myself. I lost count of the times I nearly gave my parents a heart attack from the things I did.

Speaking of my parents, I have yet to see them since getting back. I've seen my brother plenty, as he has come over to see his nieces and nephews; but I have yet to see anything from my dearest mom and dad. That leads me to think one of two things; either they don't care for me anymore, or they're just too ashamed to come and face me. I kind of hope it's the second reason.

I slowly scratched out my body, being careful to not wake up Kate or the pups. My side was still a bit soar and occasionally needed the bandages changed, but other than that I was feeling great. We were able to leave the healers den a couple days after I woke up and moved into a vacant den closer to the center of the pack. Kate and I used to have a den more on the outskirts, but for the pups safety we decided this would be best.

Eventually, Kate started to stir and woke up. She looked up at me and I gave her a loving smile, "Morning beautiful," I greeted with a small kiss.

"Good morning my handsome omega," she giggled.

"You know technically I'm not really an omega anymore," I chuckled.

"I beg to differ. You'll always be that sweet omega with a crush on me I met all those years ago," she smiled happily at the memories. I really couldn't help but do the same thing. I cant believe that I used to have such a giant crush on Kate but having to hide it because of pack law, but now we're mates with pups of our own. Its hard to believe all that's happened over the past few years. Life sure is an interesting adventure.

"I think I'm gonna go fetch us some breakfast," I said, getting up and moving towards the entrance if the den. "I'll be right back." She gave me a little wave before I left towards the feeding grounds.

As I was walking there I happened to run into three wolves that I would consider to be some of my best friends. Not Salty, Shaky, and Mooch; no on will compare to the bond that we share. No, it is David, Andy and Smitty who all looked just as happy to see me .

"How's it going you three?" I asked.

"Never better," Andy replied.

David nodded in agreement, "Everything is great. Our old pack is stable and life couldn't be easier with Alex out of the picture," he sighed with content.

"Well, not fully out of the picture," Andy corrected. Yah, the wolf is still out there, but he definitely doesn't have the following he used to.

"Which brings us to the reason why we're here," David said, implying that they were looking for me.

"What do you need me for?" I asked.

"We don't need you for anything, we just needed to deliver a message to you from Winston. We were talking with him about our most recent trip up to our pack and you were brought up in the conversation. Winston is worried for your safety, and the safety of your family with Alex's last words being he would be coming back for your head. To sum things up, Winston believes you should be put under some sort of protection," David explained to me. That didn't sound very pleasing.

"Let me get this straight, Winston wants to give my family a bodyguard?" Constantly having a wolf around my family doesn't sound like the greatest thing. Not having any privacy, not to mention I'm more than capable of protecting my family by myself. It was kind of an insult that Winston even suggested such a thing.

"I don't know how I feel about that," I told them. "I need to think about this. They nodded their heads in understanding, and left; but not. Before telling me Winston would be making a stop by eventually today. I thanked them for the info and said goodbye. After that exchange I proceeded to the feeding grounds, ripped a leg off a deer and walked back to my den.

During this, my mind was obviously occupied with thoughts on having a bodyguard. It really doesn't sound appealing to me at all. However, the more I think about it the more I realize that it is probably the best for me any my family. I could only imagine the mental toll it would take on me always looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't about to end up dead. Maybe this is the right thing to do. But I had one condition that I would discuss with Winston when he visits us today.

I got back to the den and put down the leg, sharing the meal with Kate. I talked with her about the whole situation that was going on and she agreed that she felt like we needed someone looking out for us with Alex being on the loose. I told her we'd discuss it with her father when he dropped by. She seemed to enjoy the fact her father was stopping by.

A little while after eating, we heard paw-steps coming into the den. We looked over and saw just who we expected, Winston; however, along with him was David and the other two.

"Good morning you two," Winston smiled.

I dipped my head in acknowledgement while Kate gave her father a warm welcome back. "How are my grandchildren doing," he asked eyeing the little fuzzballs.

"Just perfect, nothing wrong with them at all," Kate said happily.

"I'm glad to hear that. But they aren't the reason I am here." He stated. "I believe you know what this is about, Humphrey?" Winston questioned. I nodded my head.

"Yes, and me and Kate talked it over and decided that it would be in our best interest to do this," I told them.

"That's gold to hear, I'm glad…"

"On one condition," I interrupted him.

"And that would be?"

"I want David, Andy, and Smitty to be our guards; if that's all right with you three of course." I said, looking over towards the three. They seemed a little surprised and looked between each other to see what the others thought about the idea. After a few moments they looked back over towards me.

"That's fine with us; we would love to protect you and your family," David smiled at us.

"Thanks you three, I don't know if I'd want anyone else looking after us. I know we are safe in your paws." There really isn't anyone else in the entire pack who I would trust with the safety of my family. Sure, there are plenty of alphas who can hold their own but David, Andy, and Smitty are on a while other level. Plus I trust each of then with my life.

"No problem dude, we'll always be here for you," Andy said.

I was about to say something else, but my attention was drawn towards my pups as I started to hear them yip and whine. We all looked down at them and saw eight eyes look back at us. It seems the little guys opened their eyes during our conversation.

Dakota's eyes resembled his mother's being a beautiful amber color, while Katie and Hannah's eyes were the same as mine being a deep blue. Then there was blaze who's eye color was a mixture of both our eyes colors; the colors seemed to dance with one another in his iris's. They were all beautiful.

Seeing them all look curiously around the den brought a smile to my face. It was adorable seeing them all get up and start exploring the den; they checked out everything they could. It was nearly thirty minutes of them exploring the cave and the wolves inside; it was all just so cute.

Eventually they all calmed down and began to tire. Most came back to Kate to take a nap. However, Blaze made his way over to Smitty, his little tail wagging as fast as it could. The pup and the older wolf looked at each other for a moment before happily trotting over to Smittys large paw and started to lie on it. That got Smitty to do that was pretty rare to see; it got the big guy to smile gently down at the sleeping pup.

I feel like he would have left him there if they didn't have to leave. He gently picked up Blaze and put him with the rest of his siblings then exited the den with the others. Now it was just Kate, the pups and myself. It was so peaceful and I hope it stays like that forever. I hope my pups grow up happy and live out their lives fully. It's just so amazing being able to have these little balls of joy around. Incant wait for the day when we get to take them outside.

I'm going to admit, life had me there for a moment. It was all just going so bad and I didn't know if I would be able to pull off the whole lone wolf thing without dying. It was only a few months ago where I was at the lowest point in my entire life. Now look at me. Embracing the live of my life with our pups sleeping silently next to her.

Life is Good.


	10. Family Forgiveness

Six weeks have passed since the pups first opened their eyes and it seems like that time has just flown by. It seems like it was just yesterday since the pulse were being born, and before I know it they will be moving out and getting mates of their own. Before that happens, though, I'm going to make sure to spend as much time as possible with them. Of course before any of that happens the will be going off to alpha school; or at least the ones who decide to.

Even in this short amount of time, the pups have started to show their personalities and it is easy to tell what most of them will choose.

Dakota is the easiest to tell that he will become an alpha. He is competitive by nature and a natural leader in all the things done by the pups. He's usually the one that comes up with the games as well as makes sure everyone is following the rules. It's pretty clear to see that he will grow up to be a great leader someday after Kate and I are done. Huh, it just occurred to me I'll be leading this pack some day… thoughts for another day.

Katie's is our little clown. Everything she says and does is an attempt to get everyone to laugh. She's hilarious too her siblings, there's no doubt about that. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be a great omega.

Next is Hannah is will also most likely go the path of an alpha. She is a lot like her brother, Dakota, and already they have formed a sibling rivalry; luckily, it's all just fun and games for them.

Finally, there is Blaze. Now this little guy is a bit more complicated. It's not that he's a troublemaker, far from it in fact. It's just it's a lot harder to tell what he's going to be when he grows up. He frequently ends up winning or coming close to winning all the games they play, but it's all for fun not to be competitive. I can tell, as well as my friends, that he could grow up to be the best alpha this pack has ever seen, but that's if he chooses that path. Honestly, it could go either way him. Not that it matters what I think in the end; what they di is their decision and I'll stand by whatever they do.

Another interesting thing that we have found with Blaze is his infatuation with Smitty. Whenever he sees the older wolf he stops whatever he's doing and go over to talk to him, obviously with him doing all the talking as Smitty sits and politely listens to the pups words. Blaze figured out early that Smitty doesn't talk and he was just fine with that; it gave him more talking time.

Venturing away from the topic of my pups, I'll start talking about someone else's pups. We've been informed recently that Lilly is pregnant with her and Garths pups. There was a whole lot of excitement around that from everyone who was involved. The pups were especially excited to hear they were getting cousins. It was clear to see Garth and Lilly couldn't wait to see their little pups.

Bringing it back to the present, today is a special day for the pups. Today Mark's there second month of life, meaning that are two months old and are now able to leave the den. I still remember when McCabe and I hit that mark in our lives; so many new experiences in such a short amount of time. The experience was overwhelming but amazing at the same time.

Kate and I had already been up for awhile, getting everything ready and making sure David, Andy, and Smitty were all on the same page. The pups are bound to wonder so to keep them safe those three will be keeping a close eye on them on top of Kate and I already watching them. You'd think Kate and I would be enough, but pups can be sneaky little pests sometimes.

We decided that everything was fine now and went over to wake up the pups. Unsurprisingly, they all groaned as we woke them at an earlier time than they are used to.

"Why are we getting up so early?" Katie groaned, getting the others to whine with her as well.

"Because today is a very special day," I told them. That got them to stop whining as they all looked up at me with parked ears, excitement painted all over their faces.

"Really, what is it?" Blaze questioned excitedly.

"Today is your guys second month since being born, which means you can now go outside the den," Kate explained with a smile. Honestly, I think we're just as excited as the pups are.

Their reaction was priceless. They all started cheering and running around, tipping and howling with joy and excitement. It's too adorable.

We lead all of them outside for the first time and immediately they are taken back by everything in front of them. All the new sights and smells and feelings; like I said it can be a little overwhelming. Still, they are just pups and it didn't take them long to start playing some sort of game. Kate followed them to make sure they didn't get into trouble, and I was going to as well until I saw a familiar wolf walking over to me.

"Hey, McCabe," I greeted happily.

"Sup, Humphrey. Has it really been two months already," the wolf chuckled while he watched his nieces and nephews running around playing with each other.

"Sure has. It's amazing how fast time fly's," I commented, getting a nod from my brother.

"So what brings you by?" I asked.

"Nothing really. I was just in the area and decided to come check in on my family, and it seems I picked the right day to do it."

"What has you being this far over in the pack?" I questioned. He really has no use in coming over this way unless it is to see me and the others. If he was already in the area, what reason did he have.

He seemed to be a little flustered by the question, looking as though he didn't want to answer the question. If I didn't know better I'd say…

"Uncle McCabe," I voice cheered from the distance. McCabe and I turned our heads to see Dakota running over with a big smile on his face. So Blaze has taken a liking into Smitty, and Dakota has taken a liking in to McCabe which is really adorable no matter how you look at it.

"How's it going bud," McCabe greeted his young nephew with a warm smile.

"Its awesome," he shouted, twirling around in a circle, "Its our first day out of the den."

"I can see that," McCabe chuckled, "Now go back and play with your brother and sisters." Dakota nodded happily and took off towards his siblings.

"Such good pups," McCabe smiled.

Out of nowhere, a thought popped up into my mind; possibly due to the fact McCabe was here, but suddenly I'm thinking about my parents again. I have still yet to see them around since I've been back and honestly I worry for them. I would go and check on them, but I honestly think it's their responsibility to come and see me. But that doesn't mean I couldn't help speed up the process.

"McCabe, I need to know. What have mom and dad been doing?" I asked. He immediately knew what I meant and dropped his smile.

"They've exiled themselves to there den," he sighed. "I've tried everything I can to get them out, but nothing works. They're too ashamed of what happened and believed they failed at being parents when they didn't stand up for you. I told them they should come and talk with you, but they won't listen to me." McCabe looked defeated, obviously stressed about the whole thing. Maybe it was time I pay a visit to them. I want them to suffer like this because of me.

I called Kate and the pups over, telling them that we're going to take a small trip to the other side of the pack. Kate didn't seem to understand, but as we walked I explained to her what I was doing. All she had to say was 'finally', and I don't know how to feel about that.

As we walked, my thoughts were mostly on my parents; however, I couldn't help but smile as I witnessed my pups discover all these new things. Their reactions are priceless and adorable and I'm glad that I'm here to see them grow up. And to think if I hadn't kept messing up on my hunt all those weeks ago, then I wouldn't be here today. Funny how life works like that sometimes.

It didn't take too long until we reached my childhood den where I was born, where I grew up, and where my parents currently reside. I told Kate and the pups to stay out here until I call them in, then me and McCabe walked in.

"Mom, dad," McCabe called out as we walked in. The only response we got was a couple of groans. In the back I saw a couple bumps in the floor which where obviously my parents. They were still sleeping, not that it's all that surprising; they are both omegas, and older omegas too. They don't have much of a reason to get up this early. Though I'm sure that's not the only reason they haven't got up yet.

"Come on you two, get up. Someone is here to see you," McCabe pleaded. It took a few moments of silence, but eventually my parents gave in and decided to get up. When they did, they looked over at us. Their faces went pale and frozen when they spotted me. It's almost as if they were seeing a ghost.

"Hey mom, hey dad," I waved a little awkwardly. They had no response, just kept staring.

"Come on guys, I didn't come out all this way to only have you stare at me, though I do enjoy the attention," I smirked, trying to get some kind of reaction. And it kind of worked. They seemed to loosen up a little, except now they were avoiding eye contact by looking at the ground.

"Please look at me, this is important," I stated calmly. This felt a little backwards.

Slowly they lifted their heads and looked at me, their emotions full of guilt and regret. They've really been beating themselves up over this. I hope I can end this now.

"I know some things happened and you blame yourself, but this is what I think. Should you have said something during my trial? Yes, I really think you should have." That didn't make anyone in the den feel better, especially McCabe who looked like he was going to kill me. "I spent weeks hating everyone in this pack for what they did to me. I suffered a lot, I really did and I didn't think I would ever be able to forgive anyone," at this point my parents were nearly weeping, but I think McCabe knew where I was going with this because he doesn't look like he wants to tear my throat out anymore.

"But then I got back," I expressed with happiness, catching my parents a little off guard. "I learned my mate was pregnant, I learned I was going to be a father. I came back to the pack and slowly I started loving everything about it again. First I forgave Kate, and then McCabe, and then everyone else. Now I'm here to do something I should have done weeks ago. Mom, dad, I forgive you. I want you to be apart of my life and my pups lives. I just want you guys to know that I love you."

Now my parents were just a mess. Tears streaming down their faces and crying uncontrollably. I opened my arms, offering for a hug, and they gladly accepted. Our whole family was there hugging g it out happily. I'm glad I settled this, it was really started to get to me and I needed my parents back in my life.

"Thank you, Humphrey," dad said softly, followed by mom saying the same thing.

"Its no problem. Now come on, there are some pups outside waiting to meet their other grandma and grandpa," I smiled, getting them both excited. We walked out of the den, only we didn't see anyone there.

"Huh, must gave wandered off somewhere," I thought aloud. I figured everything was fine, that is until I heard the screams of my pup Katie. My instincts immediately kicked in and I ran towards the sounds of her screams. I prayed nothing was wrong. Anything but my pups.

I quickly ran into Katie around the same time Kate and the others did.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she embraced me with fear. Whatever it is, it really has her shaken up. All she could do was point in the direction she came from. I looked at David and the other two, all of us nodding as we knew what I had to do. I passed Katie over to Kate and took off in the direction she came from.

I only got about 100 feet before I heard the rustling of bushes off to my side I smelled the air to see if I could tell what I was up against. Its definitely wolf, but there was something else. It also smelled like blood.

I quickly looked by the bushes and what I saw shocked me. It was a beaten and bloody wolf laying on the ground looking like he's barley alive. He glanced up at me and uttered one last thing before he passed out. "Help."

I was caught a little off guard, but I quickly shook that off, put him on my back , and sprinted to the healers den. I busted through the entrance, startling Earl. He looked a little annoyed at first until he saw the wolf on my back.

"Quickly, put him down," Earl ordered. I did as I was told and took a few steps back.

"Thank you, Humphrey, but you can leave now. I've got some work to do," Earl said as he began working on the mystery wolf. I nodded and left the den, heading back over to my family.

Understandably, there were quite a few questions when I got back. I just told them I found an injured wolf in the middle of the woods and I took him to Earl.

All the adults nodded, but Katie still seemed to be a little shaken up. "Don't worry Katie, nothings wrong," I assured her with a soft smile.

"But he looked really scary," she whined, still not liking it.

"He was just an injured wolf. In fact, if it wasn't for you he might have gotten even more hurt. You really helped him out," I told her. That seemed to brighten up her mood.

"Really?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Now come on, let's get back to playing some fun games," I said, getting all the pups to cheer. There was still plenty of time left in the day. I would probably end up checking in on that wolf later today, but for now I'm going to spend all this time with my pups making memories.


	11. Taking it easy

I had a really fun thing in mind for the pups, it's something I came up with as a pup with all my friends. The only thing is that I need to get permission from Kate because it isn't the safest thing to do if you don't do it right.

"Come on, Kate, I promise no one will get hurt," I begged my mate. She still looks as though she's against the idea.

While we were discussing this, the pups were looking at us with confusion. They seemed really interested in what log sledding is and really wanted to try it out, but wondered why Kate wouldn't let them.

"I don't know, Humphrey. You know how dangerous it can get. Don't you think we should let them get older before doing this?" She questioned. But I don't see the problem.

"I'll start the off easy. There are some small hills that would be perfect for their first time," I tried to persuade her. She had a thoughtful look on her face, before ultimately giving in to my pleas.

"I guess that'll be alright. Just don't do anything crazy, I know how you can get."

"Don't worry Kate, I'll start off slow and easy."

By this point even David, Andy, and Smitty seemed interested in what I was talking about. They all followed me over to a small hill, but not small enough to be boring or course. I told everyone to stay put while I search for the key thing needed for log sledding, the sled. I walked around for a minute examining everything until I found the perfect one. I dragged it to everyone else who seemed even more confused now.

I told them everything would be clear, but first they'd need to help me get this up the hill. They did as I asked and in o time we were at the top if the hill staring down the slope.

"Alright, first things first you need to know some rules. First, I'm the captain which means you need to listen to everything I say, got it?" I asked.

"Got it," they all cheered in unison, getting so excited for what we were about to do.

"Alright, now everyone jump in the log. I'll be in the back," I ordered. They all proceeded to do what I said and jumped in.

"Alright, when we go down I'm going to be yelling direction to either lean left or lean right. We need to do it together to work effectively, understood," they all nodded their heads, ready to get going.

"Alright, on three I'll push off and we'll get going. 1… 2… 3… here we go," I said, pushing us over the edge. We immediately began picking up speed, rushing our way down the hill. The pups all yelled with a mixture of fear and glee as we zoomed down to the bottom; the first time is always a little scary for everyone.

I told them to lean left and right and they followed my direction perfectly. There wasn't anything in front of us to dodge, but it's good practice for when we start to do harder hills.

We reached the bottom and all the pulse jumped out from the log cheering and yipping with joy. "So was that fun," I asked with a knowing smirk.

"Yah," they all shouted, begging to do it again. I told them we'd have to get the log back up, but that was no problem for them. They grabbed ahold of the thing and rushed up the hill.

I turned towards Kate with a smile and offered her my paw, "Would my lovely mate like to join me and our pups?" I asked. She took a second to think about it before shrugging, saying "why not".

For hours we were sledding. Going up and down the hill. Moving from one hill to another every now and then to gain more of a challenge. The pups were all naturals at it. I even let them do it by themselves once, much to Kate's displeasure, and they made it down just fine aside from having troubles stopping and nearly slamming into Smitty. Luckily, no one was hurt. Even David and the other two got in on it and actually really enjoyed themselves. What can I say, it's a really fun past time.

Eventually, the day started coming to an end as it became late in the afternoon. At this point nearly everyone was exhausted, and the pups were all 'starving'. I would have gone to get them some food, but I felt like I needed to do something else.

"Hey, David. Do you mind going and grabbing the pups something to eat, I'm going to go check up on that wolf," I told him. He nodded, saying he'd be happy to go and do it.

"I think I'll come with you," Andy said to me. I asked him why, and all he did was shrug.

"I don't really have anything else to do. Also, it's kind of my job not to let you go anywhere alone, so…" I nodded my head, telling him I got the point.

"Race you back to the den!" Dakota yelled to his siblings, taking off back home followed closely behind by Blaze, Katie, then Hannah.

"I better catch up to them and make sure they don't get into trouble," Kate chuckled. I agreed, telling her I'd be back soon.

We said goodbye then Andy and myself left towards the healers den to see if that wolf's condition has improved at all.

It didn't take us long to get to the den. Andy said he'd just wait outside while I did my thing. I told him I wouldn't be too long, and that he may not even be awake yet. I walked in and scanned the room seeing Earl talking with the wolf from earlier. Earl must have heard me coming and turned to face me.

"Ah, Humphrey, we were just talking about you. This is the wolf that brought you here," Earl gestured towards me. The wolf seemed to look at me with a certain 'awe' present on his face. Not going to lie, it is kind of weird.

"You are Humphrey?" he asked in disbelief, with an accent I've never heard before.

"Uh, yah. Why?" I questioned, getting a weird feeling about this. Not bad, just weird.

"You are the one who fought and defeated Alex, aren't you?" I nodded my head, confirming his suspicions. I readied myself for a fight, just out of instinct, but what happened was something I did not really expect. He laughed with joy and started thanking me nonstop. Like I said before, this is really weird.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down for a second. How do you know me?"

"Everyone from my pack knows who you are," he explained, "When all the alphas came back defeated with Alex on their backs, word spread like wildfire. Eventually, your name came up." He was smiling like a pup. Now that I know the story, it's actually a little heart warming. But that didn't explain something.

"If you're apart of that pack, why did we find you beaten?"

He sighed, his face dropping showing pain from his memories. "Not everyone was so lucky after the defeat. While some were able to get away and avoid Alex's rage, I was among those who weren't so lucky. When three wolves came to liberate us, Alex caught wind of it and quickly escaped with all those who were still loyal to him. He was also able to forcefully take some slaves, like me, to a new location. I was there for quite sometime until I couldn't take it anymore. I tried escaping yesterday but wasn't able to get out unscathed. After that it was all a blur. Next thing I know I'm here talking with you." He told his story, having some sympathy from me. No world should have to serve under such a monster. I wish I could have killed that wolf when I had the chance.

"Hold on just a minute, that voice can only belong to one wolf," a cheerful Andy stated as he walked into the den and towards us.

"Nikolai, it is good to see you my friend," Andy smiled.

Nikolai perked up and seemed surprised when seeing Andy, "Andy, I thought you were dead,"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Alex said he killed you, along with the other two," he stated.

Andy laughed at this, "He would say that, the bastard. Nope, I'm alive and well, and so is the other two. In fact, I think I hear them coming now," Andy said with his ears perked.

Seconds later David entered the den, "Sorry to intrude, but Kate insisted I come and see what's taking so long," he said, looking defeated. I chuckled a little, Kate doesn't take no for an answer when it is important to her. I saw his eyes leave me and go to Nikolai, immediately brightening his spirits.

"Out of all the wolves to see today, you are the one I least expected," David said happily.

"Its good to see you too, friend," Nikolai smiled.

"I'm sorry to break up the reunion, but I should be getting back to my family," I said. The others understood. Andy and David said goodbye to Nikolai, saying they'd have to catch up later.

As we were walking back, I had a question cross my mind. "So how long have you guys known Nikolai?" I asked.

"Oh, since we were pups," Andy said.

"Yah, him and his family were relocated over from Russia when he was young. We knew him before Alex took over. He lost his family as well, but wasn't as lucky as us to escape." David explained. It seems that wolf hasn't been very lucky. Hopefully he can start a new life here where he can be happy.

We got back to my den just as the sun set, and I was met with very sleepy pups. They were all already passed out while being pressed up against Kate. I said goodnight to my friends and walked inside.

I lied down behind Kate, getting as close as I could to her. She asked what took me so long and I explained everything to her. She seemed a little shocked at first.

"Well, I'm glad he's away from that monster," Kate spat.

"You and me both. I just wish we didn't have to be scared of him. If only I had finished the job," I growled at myself.

"Come on, Humphrey, you can't beat yourself up over that. You did all you could and saved a lot of wolves by doing so. You are a real hero." She tried to comfort me. A real hero wouldn't have allowed such a cruel and despicable wolf to get away, not that I said that aloud. I just nodded, snuggling up closer to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

We said goodnight and we drifted off to sleep.


	12. Ever Lurking Danger

As usual I woke up earlier than anyone else in the den, save for the wolf assigned to guard the entrance for the night. I think it was Smitty the first half of the night and David the later half. I actually didn't like waking up early like this, but it's just become routine to me. No matter how late I go to sleep, I always wake up just before dawn. There is no point trying to fight it.

I silently got up and crept outside of the den, stretching my body on the way out. I got outside of the den and looked into the dark sky. Thick cloud coverage covered the moon and the entire sky. I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling that something bad is going to happen today. I tried to pass it off as nothing, but I just couldn't shake it.

"Good morning, Humphrey." I turned towards the voice and saw David who was also staring up at the night sky.

"Morning, David," I greeted back. I must have sounded a little strange because he looked over at me with a tilted head.

"What's wrong?" he questioned. I sighed, there was no hiding anything from this wolf.

"I can't help but think something bad is going to happen today, I just have this guy feeling," I explained my anxious behavior to him.

"I bet its nothing, but just in case you should be extra cautious and to make you feel better I'll make sure myself and the other two are on full alert."

I smiled, "Thank you, that would definitely make me feel a lot better." I trusted my friends to protect my family.

At this point the sun began to rise above the mountains, blanketing all the surrounding with its light and warm rays. I always enjoyed seeing both sun rises and sun sets, always gave me a sense of ease for some reason. Also, their quite beautiful.

"Where's Andy," I asked looking around. Usually they all stay around just in case, but I only saw Smitty, no Andy in sight.

"He got up a little earlier to go get you guys some breakfast," David explained. That made me smile, they are all just so thoughtful and honestly do more than they really need to. Really at this point they are much more than just friends.

"Well, that was nice of him," I said.

"Yah, he figured you would be busy with the pups anyway, so he decided to go hunt for some food."

"Well remind me to thank him when he gets back," I smiled.

"You can thank me now," I heard a muffled voice say. David and I looked over to see Andy dragging over a pretty decent sized caribou, one that would be able to feed us and my family for a couple days.

"I guess I will," I chuckled as he approached us with the large animal. "It really is appropriated, and you know you did y have to do this."

He shrugged his shoulders, dropping the animal for a moment to talk. "Don't worry about it, I was bored and couldn't get back to sleep. Plus, I do feel like I owe you something," he said softly, looking away. At that I became a little confused.

I looked towards David to see if he knew what Andy was talking about but he had the same look on his face as Andy did. It was slightly weird and I didn't know what was going on. It's common for these three to act weird to the point I have no idea what they are doing, but this is different. They were actually acting pretty serious right now.

"Alright, could one of you explain what's going on with you two?" I pointed between the two wanting an answer.

"I mean, isn't it clear what we mean," Andy said. I looked over to him still clearly confused. "We never really had the chance to thank you for what you did to Alex. We know you were doing it to protect your mate and her parents, but I do t think you know just how much it means to us." I didn't know what to say, I don't think I have ever seen Andy this serious. He wasn't even like this when he helped train me. "You know our story, you know what he did to us. He ruined our lives and for so long we wanted revenge. It wasn't exactly what we imagined, but you helped us achieve our dream. Now our pack is free, and it lifted a huge weight off our shoulders."

I didn't know what to say. How is someone supposed to respond to that? A simple you're welcome didn't seem like enough.

"I'm glad I could have helped, and even more so that he is no longer in that position of power. I still think the win was yours though. If you didn't save me and train me, I wouldn't be here and I can only assume this pack would have been slaughtered," I pointed out, getting them to see they were still a very big part in defeating Alex.

"Yah, I guess you're right," Andy admitted.

"How about we agree that none of us would be here today with the other," David suggested. It was a pretty good suggestion and we all agreed. I'm really glad that I met these wolves, I'd literally be dead without them. It's just one of those friendships that seems as though the gods themselves willed it into existence.

After our little conversation, the sun had gotten higher in the sky, telling me it I'd time to wake my family up for the day. I walked back into the den followed by Andy with the caribou. I went over to Kate and the pups and watched them sleep for a moment; they were all so peaceful and adorable and it just put a big smile on my face.

I got behind Kate and began to lightly shake her awake, "Kate, it's time to get up," I whispered softly into her ear. All I did was receive a groan in response causing me to roll my eyes. "Come on, you're supposed to be the alpha here," I playfully teased. She sighed in response, but also broke out into a smile as she lifted her head from the ground and looked up at me.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," she yawned. She slowly scooted away from the pups pressed up against her and stood up. "Now it's time to wake these four up," Kate pointed down to the pups.

"I'm already awake," Blaze said, picking his head up from the ground.

"One down three to go," I stated.

Blaze went over to all his sibling trying to shake them awake, but it seems they were all still worn out from yesterdays activities. Blaze came back over to us with a pouty face, "They wont wake up," he whined. That's when I got an idea, a prank I used to pull on my friends when they wouldn't get up. An evil smile crept it's way to my lips. Kate seemed to notice and looked suspiciously at me.

"What are you thinking over there mister?" Kate asked me.

"You'll see, I have a sure way to wake them up," I said joyously, quickly leaving the den. I came back in no time with a wooden bowl full of cold water.

Blaze grew an evil smile and rubbed his paws together devilishly, "Do it, do it," he cheered.

Kate also chuckled, nodding her head with approval. "Its their fault they didn't get up."

I positioned myself and lightly started swaying myself, preparing to release the water all over them. "3… 2… 1…" I flung the water, having it splash on all the sleeping pups.

They all yelped in surprise, quickly jumping to their feet and looking around in a panic. Eventually, their eyes landed on Blaze and I who were on our back rolling around laughing hysterically.

"That was unnecessary," Katie yelled, furry in her eyes.

"Uncool," Dakota barked.

Hannah just glared at us unhappily.

"Oh come on, that was hilarious, I heard Andy laugh from the entrance. Even David and Smitty were chuckling at my little prank.

"I wouldn't of had to do it if you had just woke up," I shrugged playfully. They all just rolled their eyes angrily. "Now stop being ornery and come eat," I told them, motioning over to the caribou that Andy had hunted down this morning.

At the mention of food they seemed to forget that they are all soaking wet. They ran over to the caribou and began tearing into it. Kate and I walked in behind them and did the same. After we had finished eating all of us thanked Andy for the meal, then I stashed away the left overs and decided we should go outside.

"So what are we going to do now?" Blaze asked trotting around with a gleeful smile.

I thought for a moment, I haven't really had any alone time with Kate since I've gotten back here, and when we did she was den-ridden so we really couldn't do anything. I think it would be nice to have some alone time with my mate. That just leaves getting the pups gone. After a second I came up with something.

"I have a perfect idea, how about you guys go find some other pups to play with," I said. Their eyes beamed at the suggestion and they started pleading to be aloud to do that.

"Can we daddy, can we please?" they all begged. I chuckled at their response.

"Only if your mother says yes."

They ran over to Kate and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, "Please," they said in unison.

"Oh, how could I say no to that? Sure, go ahead and make some friends," she agreed. They all cheered and started running around with excitement.

"But, you'll have to take one of your uncles," I instructed, getting me weird looks from all the grown ups.

"Don't you think we should take them?" Kate whispered over in my ear.

"We haven't had alone time for so long, I just want to spend some alone time with you," I said, looking at her with a pouty face. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Fine," she agreed, "That does sound nice." She agreed.

"Okay, its settled then. David could you please take the pups out," he still looked a little confused. I just motioned to Kate and that's when he and the others understood.

"No problem," he smiled.

"Why do they always come with us?" Dakota suddenly asked. He didn't seem to mind them tagging along, he just looks curious.

I looked over to Kate, not sure if we should tell them. They are just pups and I don't want to have them worry about things they don't yet understand. Kate looked back at me and shook her head. I'm glad she agrees with me.

"We'll tell you when you're older," I decided on, taking the easy out. They groaned and whined, but this was better for them.

David told the pups to follow him and off they went to go and make some friends. I'm grateful that David would do such a thing for Kate and I. All of them have done so much for this pack and I don't think any amount of thank you's will be enough to ever repay them.

"Soooo… what do you want to do now?" I asked Kate.

She gave me a certain glance that sent shivers throughout my body. "I can think of a few thing," she smiled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa we are still here," Andy protested. Kate growled in annoyance and you could say I was a little disappointed. Even with the pups gone, with our bodyguards well never truly be alone.

"How about just a walk then?" I suggested. That got Kate to calm down, and she just sighed.

"That sounds nice," she smiled. "But I want you two as far away from us as possible," she barked at the two.

"Yah, yah, got it," Andy said with him and Smitty nodding their heads. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What so funny?" Kate questioned.

"Your turning into your mother," I teased.

"And what's that supposed to mean," she narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing, nothing at all," I said innocently as I walked out of the den. She shook her head before running over to catch up with me.

We toured around the pack with Andy and Smitty far behind us. We leaned against each other as we walked and took in all the beautiful sights. We talked about all the good times we had as pups. We talked about how great it was having the pups. Other parts of our conversation weren't really important and were used to just fill the silence. Then Kate brought up my scar.

"Humphrey," she said nervously, "I didn't wsnt to bring this up before for reasons, but I can't help but wonder how you got that giant scar." She pointed to my side.

I looked down and examined the damaged flesh like I had done so many times already. It was very noticeable and there wasn't any way I could hide it. "Yah, that. On my second day of banishment I got caught up in a storm. While I was running around looking for shelter some lighting struck a tree branch. It lit it on fire and sent it falling towards me. It knocked me to the ground and gave me this pretty bad scar. Luckily, I was already soaking wet so all it did was sear into my skin, and not catch me on fire." I finished explaining and looked away from the memory and over to Kate who had tears in her eyes.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

"Its all my fault," she cried out, "all my fault you got sent away, all my fault you got that scar, and all my fault all those bad things happened to you."

"Hey now, you can't blame yourself for all of that. You couldn't have known any of that would have happened." I stated, trying to comfort her.

"But it did happen, and I did nothing to help prevent it."

"Yah, bad things happen to me, but I've had a long time to think about everything and I believe it happened for a reason." I said, thinking back to everything that had happened. There was even something that I haven't told anyone, that I have tried to let go but it still haunts me. "But there were some good things to come from it."

"Like what?" she sniffled.

"For starters, I was able to meet David, Andy, and Smitty and you know how much the pups love them. Plus, they're the ones who trained me. Without them Alex's pack would have come in and slaughtered us in our sleep.

"I guess your right," she gave a soft smile.

"I know I am," I chuckled, bringing her into a hug while lightly kissing the top of her head.

"Now come on, let's finish our walk happy," I said, getting a nod.

"I don't deserve you Humphrey," she mumbled, leaning against me as we walked.

"I love you too." I smirked.

We continued our walk for awhile longer until we decided to turn around and start heading back to the den where we could probably relax for a good hour or two before the pups got back. We were about half a mile away from the den meaning we'd probably get there in about ten minutes. I wanted this to last awhile longer though, I was wanting to savor this moment.

We had gotten about halfway back when I heard something that made my stomach churn. Their were screams from our children followed by snarls and barking. My heart sunk and I let my instincts kick in. Kate and I both sprinted off towards the sounds of the fighting, going as fast as we possibly could .

We came crashing through some bushes to see a scratched up David fighting off three wolves as the pups cowered behind him. I told Kate to go for the pups as I joined David in the fight.

"How you hanging, David?" I asked him, swatting at one of the strangers.

"I was doing fine, but now that you're here I think this will be considered overkill," he breathed out hard. He wouldn't admit it, but I know he was glad that I got here.

When I got there it didn't take long for them to retreat back into the woods. I would have gone after them, but there was something more important I had to take care of. I turned around and ran over to the pups. Dakota, Hannah, and Katie were all crying and shaking with fear while Blaze was on the ground motionless with a big gash in his side. My eyes widened with fear. Luckily, his chest was still moving but it didn't look normal.

I didn't have time to stand around and talk. I told Kate to get the pups back to the den, instructing David to get her there safely and then meet me at the healers den. They both nodded and took the pups towards our den. I picked up Blaze by the scruff and sprinted off towards Earl's hoping it wasn't too late.

I got their in no time, skidding into Earl's while he was working on another wolf. She looked like he was bandaging up her paw. Then there was Nikolai who looked to be asleep in the corner. Earl must have heard me, which isn't very surprising, and looked over at me. When he spotted Blaze's limp body in my mouth he and the other wolf gasped. Earl ushered me to drop Blaze over next to him.

"What happened," Earl asked as I lied Blaze on the ground.

"He was attacked by some outsiders, gave him this big gash," I pointed out the wound to him.

"He's lost a lot of blood for a pup, I need to work quickly," Earl stated as he rushed to grab all his supplies. And that's all I could do. The only thing to do now is to wait while Earl worked his magic. He's brought me back from the brink, so I can only hope he will do the same for Blaze.

"Humphrey," someone called my name. I turned around to see the other wolf in the den. I was so preoccupied with Blaze that I didn't even realize the other wolf was Lilly. "Are you okay."

"I… I don't know," I said dropping my head in defeat. So many emotions were flooding my body at the same time. It was the same feeling I had the first couple days after I was banished. It made me feel small and useless and utterly defeated. I just wanted to lay down and cry.

I guess Lilly saw the pain I was in and came over to me and brought me into a big hug. "Don't worry, Humphrey, I'm sure everything will be fine. Earl's the best healer around. If anyone can save Blaze it him," she assured me. I thanked her for the kind words, but it didn't really make me feel any better.

It was at that time David came in. He was breathing hard and looked worn out. Lilly saw this as her signal to leave. She said goodbye and wished the best for Blaze, then left.

David walked over to me not looking too well. "What happened?" was all I could say.

He sighed and hung his head low. "We were on our way back to the den, the pups had a great time with some friends but started to get hungry. On our way back Dakota came up with a plan to get revenge on Blaze for earlier this morning. Him and the two girls grabbed ahold of him and threw him into a nearby stream. We all shared a good laugh, but that's when it all went downhill. I was stupid and didn't pay attention to my surroundings. Suddenly we were jumped by three wolves and it took me by surprise. I tried to chase them off, but one got by me and headed towards the pups. Dakota was standing in front the others protectively when the wolf swatted at him. At the last minute Blaze jumped in front of him and took the blow. I was able to get him away and that's where you came in," he told the story. It was awful and it filled me full of rage and sorrow, but I still couldn't help but smile. Blaze took the hit for his brother, the brave little guy. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud of him for that.

"I'm so sorry, Humphrey," I heard David choke out. I looked at him, surprised to see him crying. I have never seen him this way, he's always been a calm and collected wolf easily able to control his emotions. "It was my job to protect them and I failed. It's my fault Blaze is like that, it's my fault if he… if he," he couldn't finish his sentence, but I knew what he meant.

"You're fine, David. I know you tried your hardest. I can't fault you for that." I told him, placing my paw on his shoulder. I still saw the guilt on his face though, which is understandable, but I still don't blame him.

"Did you recognize any of those wolves?" I asked, already having a hunch of who they were.

"Yah, their some of Alex's wolves," he growled harshly. I figured as much. Seems like he's letting himself be known again.

"I need you to stay here with Blaze, I'll be back later tonight but I need to go see the rest of my pups," I told David. He nodded my head. I quickly made my way back to my den with nothing but the thoughts of Blaze in my head.

When I got back I found Kate doing her best to comfort the pups who weren't doing so well. Kate looked over at me and I could tell she wanted to know if Blaze was alright. It was heartbreaking to see her like that and I wish I could give her good news, but I just didn't know.

"I don't know," I mouthed to her. Her shoulders slumped.

I walked over to the pups. They looked up at me with teary eyes, and they were still shaking. They ran over to me and latched on, I did my best to comfort them, but I was having trouble Keeping it together myself. But I have to be strong for them.

"Everything will be alright," I told them, not knowing if it actually would.

"Dad, they hurt Blaze," Dakota cried out.

"Who were those mean wolves?" Katie asked.

Again I looked over at Kate. At this point, there wasn't any reason to keep it from them. Because of that monster my pups had to experience the evils of this world early on. Kate nodded approvingly. I sighed and looked back down at the pups.

"I'll tell you when your brother wakes up, I'll tell you everything." Now all I can hope for us that Blaze does wake up.


	13. Secrets Revealed

Four days have passed since Blaze passed out from the attack while jumping in front of the attacker to save his brother. Comparatively, the wound he received wouldn't have even really bothered me beyond a stinging sensation In my side. However, Blaze is much smaller and in return isn't able to take those kind of blows. Within minutes he lost more blood than he should. If he hadn't pushed Dakota out of the way and only taken a fraction of the attack, Dakota probably wouldn't be here right now. I'm so proud of my youngest pup and hope for him to wake up soon.

Earl stated that he was able to stabilize him to a point of recovery but he didn't know when he'd wake up, if he ever did. The blood loss might have caused some permanent damage that Earl wouldn't be able to see.

That didn't sit well for Kate and I. The thought of losing Blaze put us both in a depressed state. Losing a child is something no one should go through, yet it does happen. I just couldn't bare the thought.

Everyone I knew tried to comfort me and Kate to the best of their abilities. Garth and Lilly came over the morning after everything happened to check up on me. I wasn't really in a talking mood at that point and really only listened and nodded every so often. I felt a little bad, but at the time I didn't care too much.

Kate joined me later on in the day but wasn't able to stay long. The sight of her unconscious pup drove her to tears and she had a complete breakdown. I did my best to comfort her, but there really wasn't much I could do. She soon left me to go back to the pups.

Next who visited was my brother, McCabe. He stuck around the longest. Just like with Lilly and Garth I didn't talk much. Unfortunately, McCabe is quite persistent and eventually got me to open up. We talked for hours about the most random of things as he tried to get my mind off things, but it never worked for long. My mind always ended back on Blaze. It was nice to have him there to talk to, though. He came and went a couple of times throughout the days; sometimes he would bring along with him mom and dad which was nice seeing them.

The whole time I stayed by Blazes side, David was outside the den making sure nothing would get to us. I know he blames himself for what happened, but I really wish he didn't. He did his best and that is all I could ask of him. It was him against three other wolves, what was he supposed to do?

Every now and then I would leave Blaze in the protection of David and go see my other pups to make sure they were doing alright. All things considered, I think they were handling it the best they could. It was Dakota who was having the most trouble with everything. Like David, he blamed himself for what happened with Blaze. Kate and I have tried our best to get through to him that none of this is his fault, but he doesn't listen. He keeps saying that because he is the oldest he should be the one to protect his younger siblings. He keeps beating himself up over it and it's not healthy for him. Honestly, I think the only wolf who can cheer him up would be Blaze. That's if he ever wakes up.

Currently, I was lying down curled up around Blaze. I watched as his bandaged chest would slowly rise and fall, counting the seconds until he would he would wake up. He looked peaceful in his sleep; he didn't stir nor did he wine. His face also wore a smile, as if he was proud of himself for what he did. If you didn't know what happened to him you'd think he was just sleeping.

Kate had the other pups back in the den. They wanted to stay and wait for Blaze to wake up as well but I didn't want them to see him like this. I just think it'll be too much for them to handle with everything going on.

I looked towards to opening of the den David talking with someone else, and that someone was Earl. He walked in the den and looked at me with a friendly smile. "Still asleep?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yah," I sighed.

"Don't worry Humphrey, I'm sure he'll wake up sooner or later," he tried to comfort me.

"I hope your right, for the sake of my family. I don't want to think of how the pup would react to know Blaze wasn't coming back. Then there's Kate. It's all just too much." The stress of all of this was taking its toll on me, that's for sure.

Earl was about to say something else, but stopped when a mother and her pup walked in asking for help. He greeted them politely and went to do his job.

I felt Blaze jerk and my heart jumped as I looked down at him hoping he had woken up; unfortunately, he was just twitching in his sleep. I sighed, but looked up when I heard more paw steps coming into the den. This time it was McCabe who had a sympathetic smile.

"Still out. At this rate I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave him, but Kate and I are reaching the point where we will have to begin doing normal alpha duties again. I don't want to just leave him here alone," I stated grimly. There is a point I'll just have to accept the hard truth and move on, but I don't know if I can do that yet.

"I think your worrying too much, Humphrey. He, along with your other pups, are strong wolves. I mean look at their parents, some of the strongest and bravest wolves in all of North America. He'll be walking around in no time," he said, sounding so sure of himself. I just wish I could believe him.

We continued talking for a little bit when we came to a topic that lightened my mood just a little bit. "So, McCabe, you found any special wolf yet?" I asked. He blushed and turned away, giving me my answer.

"Ah, my big brother finally found someone. What's her name?" I pestered. I know this kind of stuff bothers him, which is why it's so fun.

"Her names Abby, she lives more towards to east. I met her a couple weeks ago when we got paired up for alpha duties. We just seemed to hit it off and I even asked her to the moonlight howl in a couple days." He told me, getting me to smile. It's about time he gets that special person in his life

"What's a moonlight howl?" The sudden voice startled me, and I was a little confused who was talking. That's when the realization kicked in. I jerked my head down to see my youngest son looking up at me with his head tilted.

"Blaze!" I shouted, bringing him into a big hug. I had been so preoccupied talking to McCabe that I didn't even realize he had woken up. Tears of happiness poured down my face as all my stress and worries were lifted. I swelled with happiness and couldn't contain it.

"Ow, dad, that hurts," Blaze whined. I put him down, realizing I was probably hugging him a little too tightly; he does still have a pretty big gash on his side.

"Why are you crying dad?"

"I'm just so happy to see you," I told him. He looked a little confused so I explained everything that had happened. He did say he remembered diving in front of Dakota, but after that, nothing. I filled in the rest, which honestly wasn't all that much. After I was done he looked at the ground thoughtfully.

"So, since I was asleep for four days does that mean I don't have to go to sleep tonight?" he asked with a smile.

I couldn't help but laugh at his question, and I could hear McCabe doing the same. "Still my funny little pup," I breathed out, patting his head causing him to giggle happily. "Now let's get you home."

I waited for Earl to give the okay for us to leave. He said he'd be fine leaving, but to come back in a couple days to check his bandages. I thanked him for everything, I owe Earl so much. He's saved my life countless times in many different ways.

We exited the den, walking slowly so Blaze could get used to walking again. Not moving for four days isn't too good on you. When we left, I saw David immediately let out a sigh of relief. I told him we were heading back to the den and asked if he could get a little food for Blaze. David nodded and went to go grab some food.

McCabe said he would walk with us until we got home, not that he really needed to but he wanted to come. It took us a little longer than it usually would because of Blaze, but I wasn't in any hurry. I'm just glad he's back with us, and he doesn't seem to be affected by it at all. He's the same little goofy pup that he's always been.

When we walked into the den, everyone their burst out shouting Blaze's name. The pups all ran up to him, hugging him tightly.

"We missed you so much," Katie expressed.

"Guys… too tight… can't breath," Blaze wheezed out.

"Oh, right, sorry," Hannah apologized as they pulled away from him.

"No problem, just a little less crushing next time," he laughed happily, getting the others to join in as well. As they were all talking with each other, I noticed that Dakota wasn't with them. I looked further back and saw him keeping away with his head down, still looking guilty. This had to end.

I walked over to Blaze and leaned down, "Hey, Blaze, you should go have a talk with your brother. He blames himself for what happened and I think you're the only one who can cheer him up." He tilted his head and looked over at Dakota. Once he saw him he smiled and trotted over towards him.

Blaze

Dad told me Dakota was feeling sad because of what happened to me. But it wasn't his fault. It was my own choice to jump in front of him. I just didn't want him to get hurt. That's not his fault at all. Dash wants me to cheer him up and that is exactly what I will do.

I walked up to him with a big smile on my face, but he kept his head down and didn't look at me. I decided to sit in front of him until he looked at me. "Hey Kota," I said hi cheerfully, calling him by his nickname that I came up with. He smiled a little when I said that.

"Hi Blaze, how are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Well, I've definitely felt better," I laughed, getting a small chuckle from him. But it was easy to see that he is still sad.

"Kota, dad says your feeling sad because you blame yourself for what happened to me."

"Because it was my fault," he pouted, looking back to the ground now.

"Its not your fault," I told him.

"yes it is! I'm the older brother; I am the one who is supposed to protect you, Hannah, and Katie. I should have never let you get hurt," he said, on the verge of tears. I lifted up his head so he was looking at me.

"Dakota, it was not your fault. I'm the one who jumped in front of that mean wolf. I did that because I didn't want to see you get hurt. That's why I did it. You can't blame yourself. Now pull yourself together wolf," I told him, hitting him on the side of the head, but not too hard.

"Ow, what was that for?" he asked.

"Because I felt like it," I smiled playfully. He smiled and laughed a little. "Now do you know that it is not your fault?" I asked.

He nodded his head, wiping away some tears. "Yah. And I'm not just saying that because I don't want you to hit me again," he chuckled.

"Trust me, you wont know when I'm going to hit you," I joked, causing him to laugh a lite harder.

I turned around to see all the adults looking at me with smiles. That made me a little nervous and uneasy. I decided to just walk over to mom and sit next to her, letting her hug me.

"Hey, daddy, now that Blaze is awake can you tell us about those wolves?" Hannah asked. I looked over at dad and wondered what she was talking about.

Humphrey

I couldn't stop smiling at Blaze for what he did. He is such a good brother and it is easy to see that he will grow up to be a very good wolf. I was happy with my life again, that is until Hannah asked her question.

I sighed, I knew I would have had to tell them eventually I just wish it didn't ha e to be so soon. But, I promised I would and a promise is a promise.

"A couple of months ago, before you pups were born, daddy was sent away from the pack for awhile because he was blamed for something I didn't do. While away I ran into the leader of those wolves who attacked you guys. He's a very nasty wolf, really a monster. Him and some wolves nearly killed me, but luckily your uncles were there to save me," I said, gesturing over to David, Andy, and Smitty.

"After I was attacked, they trained me to be able to protect and take care of myself. Once they were done training me, they went to the bad wolves pack to try and beat him. A month and a half after that, I mistakenly made my way back to this pack where I learned my name was cleared and I would be aloud to live here again. I was brought home and learned your mother was pregnant with you guys. It wasn't long after that when the bad wolves attacked again. Luckily, we were to defeat them and kick them from the pack and I was able to almost kill the monster. Unfortunately, he lived and now wont stop at anything to get his revenge. That means attacking you guys, or your mother. This is why you must always stay near your uncles, and why those wolves attacked you." I finishes explaining everything to them, not very happy I had to unveil their grim reality.

They looked at me with wide eyes full of fear. "That's horrible," Katie said.

"Those wolves are evil!" Blaze growled.

"Yes, they are. Unfortunately, we have no idea where they are or when they'll attack again. We just have to wait for the inevitable," I sighed.

"Um, Humphrey," David called over for my attention. I looked over to him and saw him looking at me suspiciously. I already knew what he was going to say.

"You know I'm the one who taught you how to read wolves, which means I know your not telling us everything," he pointed out. Damn his ability to do that. This isn't something I ever wanted to think of again. There's a reason I was so cynical and afraid of losing Blaze.

"What's he talking about, Humphrey? Is there something your not telling us?" Kate asked.

I sighed and nodded, "Yah. It's something that still haunts me to this day," I mumbled out, the memories already flooding back bringing along all the pain as well. All of them stared at me expectantly, they really weren't going to drop this. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Let's just say…" I paused for a second, taking a deep breath to compose myself. This isn't easy at all for me. "… before I knew Kate was pregnant, I was technically a father."


	14. Old Wounds

"What do you mean you were already a father?" Kate asked a little hotly. "And why us this the first I'm hearing about it?" it was pretty clear to see that Kate is not happy about this revelation. She looked angry, confused, sad, and a mixture of many other emotions. I could see where she was coming from, this isn't something I should have kept from her. But honestly, this is something I tried to keep from myself; I wanted it out of my mind.

I tried to explain, but Andy and David were asking questions a mile a minute, not letting me tell them what happen. They didn't really seem angry, more just confused and a little interested. The pups just looked scared as they looked around the room at everyone.

"Is there another wolf, Humphrey? Did you leave someone and your pup for me?" She was jumping to conclusions, letting her emotions get the better of her.

"No, it's nothing like that," I defended, trying to calm the situation.

"Then what is it, Humphrey? How could you already be a father?" She cried out, starting to tear up. I sighed and looked at the ground depressingly. I took a Shaky breath and tried to calm myself down. All of this was bringing up memories that I had long locked away; but now they are all flooding back. I tried to push these feelings back down, but it wasn't working. I had kept them down for too long and they were finally surfacing. Tears started making their way to my eyes and I let out a small sob. All these suppressed memories flooding back into my head was just too much.

"Humphrey?" I looked back up to see everyone looking at me concerned. My eyes were now flooding with tears making everything blurry. Kate, seeing me like this, calmed down and started to realize maybe there was a reason I didn't want to share this story. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blown up on you like that." She started to apologize.

"I'll be okay," I told her. "But since this is already out, I might as well tell you what happened." I paused a moment to compose myself, then continued. "It all started about a week after David and the other two left me…"

 **Flashback**

It had been nearly a week since my training had come to an end and my three new friends left to go do their own business. I wouldn't necessarily say I was happy with my situation. Content would be a better way to explain how I was feeling. At least now I would have a better chance at surviving then I did not too long ago. I had long stopped thinking about Jasper, the memories only bringing me pain. My life was different now and I knew that, so I did my best to move on and worry about the present. However, my life was about to take yet another drastic turn; this time it would be for the better.

It was a nice day out, which was nice considering most days here were dark and rainy. The sun was shining its warm Ray's, and there was a cool autumn breeze blowing through the forest. It did eventually start to get a little too warm for my liking which got me thinking. I had worked plenty hard for a past couple weeks, I thought that I deserved a little break from everything. My thoughts immediately went to a way I could have some fun while also cooling off. Not too far from where I was is a small lake that would be a nice way to beat the afternoon heat.

I followed a path that had become quite familiar to me as the days have gone by. Slowly, this place was turning into my own home. My surrounds have become easily recognizable and I was able to navigate around my territory without much effort.

I walked down the path for about ten minutes until I candy upon the lake. It was decent sized, not the largest one I have seen but it was big enough. This would be the first time I took a swim in it and I was really looking forward to it. I was ready to relax after all my strenuous training.

I walked up to the edge, closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, getting a wonderful smell of water as I let little waves wash over my paws. I exhaled and opened my eyes, ready to jump in and be consumed by the nice cold water. However, just as I was about to jump in, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. The water began to turn crimson red and by the smell of it, it was blood.

I looked further down the lake to see if I could find the source only to see a few figures washed up on the shore. I cautiously made my way over to the scene, already expecting the worse. It didn't take long until I came upon the figures, now seeing them as two wolves, a male and a female. It was exactly as I expected it to be, the bodies were beaten, torn apart, and mangled corpses at this point. I'm assuming they got attacked and tried to flee in the lake where they died; that's my guess.

I felt bad for the two. No one should have to suffer a fate like this. I gave it some thought and decided to give them a proper burial. I grabbed ahold of the guy and proceeded to drag him out of the water, getting him onto a flat and dry surface. After I was done with him, I went back for the girl; however, when I got back I had to stop myself from crying. I didn't notice it before, but between the two wolves was a pup. It was covered in its parent's blood making it unrecognizable as being male or female. These two must have been a couple and they were trying to protect pup. My stomach churned at the thought of having to bury the pup as well, but I would do it out of respect.

I went to grab the little guy when I saw his ear twitch. I jumped back, surprised then immediately looked down at his chest. It was still moving! This pup is still alive! I quickly pulled the pup away from the corpse and laid it down nearby. I would take care of it later. First thing I had to do was get the mom out of the water. I did just that and placed her next to the dad. The next important thing I thought to do was wash the pup. I don't want it to wake up covered in its parents' blood and be scarred for life.

I picked the pup up and went to a place the blood wasn't, then I started to wash it. I was able to completely clean the pup, finally being able to tell that it was a boy. He had mostly back fur with a white tipped tail. He also didn't seem to have really any injuries besides a few cuts here and there. His parents did a good job protecting him.

After bathing the pup, I figured I should get him to safety. The best place would be my den. When I dropped him off, then I would come back and bury the dead parents. I grabbed the pup's scruff and sprinted off to my den. It only took me a couple minutes to get back. I took the pup and lied him down in the center of my den. This poor little guy must have gone through a lot, and possibly even witnessed both the deaths of his parents. I can't fathom how he'll react when he wakes up. I would deal with that problem when it happens, right now had to go bury some wolves.

The whole process took me about an hour as I had to dig their graves and then drag their bodies there, and finally cover them back up. It wasn't the greatest experience I've ever had. It's something I hope I never have to do again. At the end of it all I was dirty, sweaty, and exhausted. I said some final words of respect and then made my way back to the den where hopefully I would come to a panicking pup.

Walking back, I was consumed in deep thought. I couldn't help but think how screwed up this world is for things like this to happen. Sure, what happened to me was pretty unfair, but nothing compares to this pup. I couldn't begin to imagine how he must feel.

When I got back, I saw the pup still in a deep sleep. I walked past him over to my food storage and grabbed a caribou leg. I lied down and began to eat as I examined the pup. He seemed to be bothered by something in his sleep. Who knows what's going through his head right now? The thought of it made me feel sorry for the pup.

About halfway through eating, I saw the pup start to wake up. He was facing away from me and lifted his head up and let out a big yawn. He didn't really seem to be bothered by anything. "Mom, dad, I had the scariest nightmare ever. We were walking around, and these wolves came out of nowhere and hurt us." He pouted, obviously distressed by the while thing. This wasn't going to be easy breaking it to him. "Mom, dad?" he called out, a little confused as to why they weren't answering.

"I'm sorry pup, they aren't here." I spoke softly. He flipped around and faced me. When he saw me, he began to tremble with fear? He started slowly backing away.

"Who are you, where are my patents?" he asked, scared out of his mind.

"I'm a friend, I promise. And your parents, I'm sorry to say, didn't make it. They're dead." I gave it to him straightforward. No need raising his hopes to only crush his heart even more. By this time the poor pup was bawling his eyes out.

"No, they can't be dead," he shouted, not wanting to believe the truth. He curled up into a little ball and just let the tears fall, sobbing from his new-found reality. I felt so bad for him and wished I could do something to ease the pain.

Slowly, I walked over to him and gently rubbed his back as he let it all out. "Its okay, pup, let it all out. Everything's going to be just fine," I tried to assure him.

"No, it's not," he cried out violently. "Mom and dad are the only ones who cared for me." It was heart breaking seeing. I didn't know what to do. How do you consult a pup who just lost his parents?

I decided to say the first thing that came to mind. "I'll take care of you," I told him. I don't know why I said that, but it seemed like the best thing to do. Plus, what am I supposed to do? Just send him away? I couldn't do that.

He looked up at me with teary eyes, "R…really?" he asked.

I smiled softly down at him, "Of course, I can't just leave you out here alone."

It wasn't much, but he seemed to cheer up just a tiny bit. He smiled ever so slightly, "Thank you."

"No problem. Now, what's your name?" I asked him.

"Its, M…Max," he sniffled out.

"Max, huh? That's a pretty cool name," I smirked, trying my best to cheer him up.

"You really think so," he perked up a little. I just smiled and nodded my head. He thanked me again while looking away shyly. I was tempted to ask if he remembers what happened, but I assumed he didn't want to talk about that right now. He's already having a hard time as it is, I don't need him to relive it right now. I decided I'd just bring it up later.

"So, are you hungry?" I asked him. It took no time for him to start nodding his head, telling me he was starving. He seemed to be a little happier with me talking to him, a d with a promise to take care of him, I'm sure he is feeling a little relieved. But he was most definitely still upset about his parents. Maybe he was just trying to keep it together for me, but underneath that he was a mess waiting to explode into tears again.

I went over and got some meat for Max and brought it back to him. He dug right in, not waiting anytime devouring the entire slab. I couldn't help myself but chuckle at his behavior. In no time he was completely done with his food.

"Hungry," I laughed, getting him to look away shyly again.

"Sorry, I was just starving," he apologized.

"No need to be sorry, I was just teasing."

"What's your name?" he quickly asked.

"My name is Humphrey," I told him.

"That's a nice name," he complimented me.

"Why, thank you. Now how about we get some rest. We've both had quite a rough day, don't you think?"

He let out a depressed sigh and nodded. He lied down where he was and tried to fall asleep

The next four weeks weren't easy on either of us. It took Max awhile to get used to me and took him even longer to get over the death of his parents. To be completely honest, I don't think he ever got over it. He just got used to hiding the pain. The first two weeks had Max waking up every night in the middle of the night screeching in terror as the memories of his parent's death haunted his dreams. I did my best to try and comfort the pup, but it wasn't easy. Fortunately, over time he grew to trust me and even felt comfortable talking with me about what was going on in his head. Anyone could assume what Max was thinking, but to hear him talking about his dream and memories of the event was heartbreaking. I wouldn't wish for this to happen to anyone, not even the worst of my enemies. However, it did help us bond.

I shared with him my traumas and past pains. Sharing our painful pasts helped bring us closer together and we found a certain common ground. After the first two weeks our bond become pretty strong. Max seemed to trust me completely now and followed me around anywhere I went. The poor guy would be fear stricken anytime I had to go out of eyesight from him. I didn't mind though, taking care of Max gave me a certain joy. If it wasn't for me the pup would have died. I felt as though I had a responsibility to Max and if I had to take care of him and become his father, then so be it.

All these weeks later we were walking down a path. I hadn't walked this path since I had first found Max. I dint particularly want to go down this way, but Max was set on coming here. Max had asked if I could take him to see his parents grave today and though I was reluctant, I would not deny Max of trying to make some sort of peace. The entire walk was silent and as I gazed down at Max, I could see the pain in his eyes. It hurt seeing him like this, but he seemed to think this is the closure he needed so we pressed on.

It took some time, but we eventually made it to the clearing with the recently disturbed soil. Unsurprisingly, Max immediately started crying at the sight of his parent's grave. This pain would not fade for a long time, if it ever did. I sat back silently as Max went up to the grave and collapsed down next to it. He stayed there awhile, quietly talking to his parents getting everything off his chest. I tried to not listen in on the private conversation, but one thing said did catch my ears.

"I will miss both of you, but you don't have to worry about me. Humphrey won't let anything happen to me." Hearing that made my heart skip a beat. Knowing that someone trusted me enough to keep their life safe filled me with a happiness I hadn't felt for a while.

He stayed there for a little longer, I would have let him stay until the sun went down if he really wanted to, but he eventually shakily brought himself to his paws and told me he was ready to go. We began walking back again in silence, but I felt like I needed to say something.

"Max," I called for his attention. He looked up at me with tears still in his eyes. "I know we have only known each other for a few weeks, and we may not be blood related, but I just want you to know that I love you like a son and I will do everything in my power to protect you." I meant every word of what I said, hopping this wasn't too soon to admit that.

I saw his lip begin to quiver and for a moment I thought maybe I said something I shouldn't have. However, those thoughts were erased as Max latched onto me with a hug a cried into my shoulder. But they were more tears of joy instead of the usual tears of sorrow. "I love you too… dad." Again, my heart fluttered. I never thought I'd be happy again, not after certain events. But here I am, happy as ever with someone I could start a new life with. I was happy and content and it felt nice, even if it was for only a moment.

"Well, isn't that precious," I heard the voice only moments before I felt myself being forced to the ground. I felt a little dazed as I looked to where the voice was coming from. What I saw made me growl fiercely.

"Alex, you bastard. Let us go," I snarled, trying to break free from the wolves holding me down. That's when a sudden thought shot into my mind. I snapped my head over to where Blaze was only to see him pinned under a much larger wolf. The fear in his eyes said everything and at that moment I don't think I had ever been as angry. If it weren't for the two wolves holding me down, I would have latched onto Alex's neck and killed him were he stood. But I was helpless.

"Well, look who it is. The one who got away and…" Alex took a moment to try and recognize who he was looking at. He seemed to remember after a second. "Ah, I see you survived pup. How unfortunate. Guess I'll just have to set things right." He smiled evilly and walked over to Max with malicious intent.

"Alex, please don't. He's only a pup." I pleaded to him. He stopped and looked between the two of us, something notorious brewing in his mind. Slowly, a grin grew on his face and I knew something bad was about to happen.

"Fine, I won't kill him," he stated. I knew there was something else to it. "But I'll make sure you'll never see him again. Take him back to the pack." The wolf holding Max began dragging him away while he screamed for me. I tried all I could to escape and get back to him, to try and save him like I promised I could. But it was all in vain. As soon as he was out of sight, I felt something strike the back of my head and then blackness.

I woke up hours later with no one in sight. I ran around for hours trying to find any signs of where they went. But I couldn't even get their scent after a certain distance. I went back to my den that night and cried myself to sleep. When I was banished from the pack my heart died a little. But after that day, when I lost Max, I lost all feeling for everything.

 **End of Flashback**

"I broke my promise I made, and I still have yet to forgive myself. To this day I have no idea what happened to him. I don't know where he went or even if he's dead or alive. I know nothing and it haunts me every day." I finished with tears streaming down my face. I had buried all of that for so long and just wished for the pain to go away. I had my eyes glued to the ground, not looking at anyone as a cried my eyes out. I had no idea how any of them were reacting. As I sat there wallowing in my sorrow, I heard paw steps coming towards me and soon I was brought into a hug by my mate, followed by my pups.

"I'm so sorry Humphrey, for everything. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions or accuse you of such things. No one should have to go through such things." I didn't have any ill feelings towards her for what she said, he did drop some pretty big news. I didn't say anything, just accepted the hugs happily. After our little happy moment, I looked over at the others, but what I saw confused me.

"What are you three smiling about?" I asked, referring to David, Andy, and Smitty.

"Oh, its just we kind of took over the Pack formally lead by Alex, and one of the first wolves we freed was a pup named Max." David chirped.

I looked at them with wide eyes, not believing what they were saying. All I could get out was, "Really?"

"Really!" Both David and Andy exclaimed excitedly. Slowly, a smile crept over my face as a new hope rose in me.

"Where is he?" I asked quickly.

"Well, the last time we saw him, he was walking off towards your old den. Man, if I knew he was your adopted son I would have brought him straight here."

This was the greatest news I've heard since Kate told me she was pregnant with my pups. I wanted to run there as fast as I could and bring him into my embrace. However, looking at my family I knew I had an obligation to them and couldn't just leave them right now. That's when an idea came to mind.

"David, could you go and see if he's still there. If he is, could you bring him here, but don't tell him why; I want that to be a surprise."

David smiled and gave a nod, "No problem. I'll be back as soon as I can!" He gave a final farewell and took off in the direction of my old den.

The joy I was feeling could not be properly explained. Max, the pup I failed to protect, was still alive and now after all this time I will finally see him again. I could hardly wait and I could barely contain my excitement. For now, though, all I could do was wait.


End file.
